HIS  NATIVE  WIFE 

•  LOUIS  BECKE* 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


Gift 

From  the  Library  of 

Henry  Goldman,  Ph.D. 

1886-1972 


BY    Louis    BECKE. 


HIS   NATIVE  WIFE. 

BY   REEF  AND   PALM. 

Issued  in  the  Lotos  Library.      Illustrated. 

161110.     Polished  buckram,  75  cents 

per  volume. 

THE   EBBING  OF  THE  TIDE. 

SOUTH    SEA    STORIES. 

Large  121110.     Cloth  extra,  $1.25. 

"  Mr.  Becke  tells  his  stories  with  an  utter 
simplicity  that  is  at  once  dignified  and  in- 
expressibly pungent."  —  Boston  Evening 
Transcript. 


His  Native  Wife. 


Page  108 


HIS  NATIVE  WIFE 


By 
Louis  Becke 

Author  of  "  By  Reef  and  Palm,"  "The 
Ebbing  of  the  Tide,"  etc. 


ILLUSTRATED 


PHILADELPHIA 

J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT   COMPANY 
I897 


COPYRIGHT,  1897, 

BY 
J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY. 


Annex 


"  Neither  do  men  put  new 
wine  into  old  bottles ;  else  the 
bottles  break  and  the  wine  run- 
neth out  and  the  bottles  perish." 


[All  rights  reserved] 


CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  PACK 

I.  CAPTAIN  AMOS  BENNETT  SEEKS 

A  NEW  SECOND  MATE         .     II 

II.  ON    BOARD    THE    **  KELLET 

PASSMORE"     .         .         .26 

III.  THE  WIFE  OF  THE  REVEREND 

HOSEA  PARKER        .        .     JI 

IV.  "WE     CANNOT     PUT     NEW 

WINE  INTO  OLD  BOTTLES  "     64 

V.  THE     FIRST     AND     SECOND 

MATES     .            .  .            -77 

VI.  KATE   TRENTON   .  «             .92 

VII.  NADEE         .            .  ,            .IO8 

VIII.  ONE    OF  THE   OLD  BOTTLES  .    1 2O 


+§  Contents 

CHAP.  PAGB 

IX.        IN  THE  BOIL  OF  THE  SURF     .    14$ 

X.         UNDER   THE    PALMS      .  .158 

XI.  A  CONVERT  THROUGH    LOVE.    177 

XII.  HIS    NATIVE   WIFE          .  .    1 86 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

HIS  NATIVE  WIFE    .     Frontisfifft. 
"HELEN!    HOW  CAN  YOU!"        .     72 

THE  GIRL  CAME  OVER   NEAR   HIM 
AND   PLACED    HER   HAND   ON 

THE    RAIL     .  .  .  .82 

HELD     IN     THE     ARMS     OF     A     TALL, 

SLENDER    NATIVE    GIRL  .     165 


HIS  NATIVE  WIFE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

CAPTAIN  AMOS  BENNETT  SEEKS 
A    NEW    SECOND    MATE. 

THE    Kellet    Passmore,    of 
New    Bedford,    had   just 
dropped  anchor  in  the  Bay  of 
Islands,  and  Captain  Amos  Ben- 
nett  came   ashore  to  look  for 
some    new    hands.      But    the 
skipper  of  the  Kellet  Passmore 
was    pretty    well    known,    and 
although  there  were  plenty  of 
ii 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

men,  both  whites  and  natives, 
to  be  had  by  any  other  whale- 
ship  captain,  there  was  none 
anxious  to  try  his  luck  in  the 
Kellet  Passmore.  It  was  far 
better,  they  argued,  for  them 
to  do  another  month  or  two  of 
solid  loafing  ashore,  where  there 
was  plenty  of  cheap  grog  and 
where  the  charms  of  very  un- 
conventional Maori  female 
society  were  so  easily  available, 
and  wait  for  another  whale-ship 
to  come  along,  than  to  ship  in 
the  Kellet  Passmore.  For  it  was 
pretty  generally  known,  from 
Talcahuana  on  the  west  coast  of 
South  America  to  Kororareka 
in  the  Bay  of  Islands  on  the 
coast  of  New  Zealand,  that 
Captain  Bennett  wasn't  a  nice 
man  to  sail  with,  and  those  who 

12 


His  Native  Wife  $©- 

did  sail  with  him,  whether  the 
Kellet  Passmore  met  with  bad 
luck  or  "  greasy "  luck,  gene- 
rally left  her  at  the  first  port 
she  touched  at  after  a  cruise, 
with  broken  noses,  smashed  jaws 
or  fractured  ribs,  superinduced 
by  knuckle-dusters,  belaying- 
pins,  and  other  cheerless  incen- 
tives to  industry  wielded  by  the 
unsparing  hands  of  Captain 
Amos  Bennett  and  the  after- 
guard of  his  ship. 

Smoking  an  extremely  long 
and  very  strong  cigar,  Captain 
Bennett  slouched  into  the  lead- 
ing combined  store  and  grog 
shanty  which,  in  those  days,  was 
the  rendezvous  of  everyone  liv- 
ing in  the  Bay,  and  in  amiable 
tones  invited  every  one  present 
to  "  come  and  hev  suthin'." 
13 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

Some  twelve  or  fifteen  men, 
whites,  Kanakas,  and  Maoris, 
who  were  loafing  about  the  store 
in  expectation  of  the  captain's 
visit,  accepted  his  invitation  with 
sundry  nods,  pushes,  and  winks 
among  themselves,  and  after 
drinking  a  stiff  tot  of  what  was 
known  locally  as  "hell  biled 
down  to  a  small  half  pint," 
Mauta,  a  Tongan  half-caste 
boat-steerer,  respectfully  asked 
the  captain  if  he  had  had  much 
luck  on  his  present  cruise. 

This  was  Captain  Bennett's 
opportunity,  and  for  the  follow- 
ing ten  minutes  he  lied  rapidly 
and  artistically  about  the  Kellet 
Passmoris  wonderful  luck  in 
past  cruises,  but  admitted  that 
on  the  present  one,  since  he  had 
left  New  Bedford  five  months 


His  Native  Wife  So- 

before  he  had  taken  but  three 
whales,  "  princerpully,"  he  said, 
"  on  accaount  of  some  passengers 
I  hev  aboard  who  are  in  a  h — 
of  a  hurry  ter  get  up  ter  Ponape 
in  the  Caroline  group.'* 

"Traders,  Captain  Bennett? " 
asked  the  storekeeper. 

"  No,"  replied  the  American, 
drawing  up  one  of  his  long  legs, 
clasping  his  lengthy  arms  around 
his  knee  and  shutting  his  left 
eye,  "  mission'ries  from  Bosting, 
agoin'  daown  tew  the  Carolines 
tew  save  the  ragin'  heathen  in 
his  blindness  from  bowin'  daown 
tew  wood  an*  stone,  and  tew 
teach  them  tew  charge  a  dollar 
each  for  a  chicken  tew  the  un- 
godly and  Gentile  sailor  man." 

The  men  laughed,  and  Cap- 
tain Bennett,  without  moving  a 
15 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

muscle  of  his  long,  solemn 
visage,  nodded  to  the  store- 
keeper to  fill  the  glasses  again. 

"No  wonder  you  losa  the 
whala,  captain,"  said  a  short, 
muscular  Portuguese,  who 
wanted  a  ship  but  had  no  inten- 
tion of  trying  the  Kellet  Pass- 
more  with  her  present  com- 
mander, "de  dam  missionara 
he  bringa  you  bada  lucka,  eh  ?  ** 

"Waal,"  said  Bennett,  eye- 
ing the  speaker  keenly  through 
his  half-closed  eyes,  "I  won't 
say  that  because  it's  jest  my  own 
fault.  Yew  see,  boys,  it's  jest 
this  way.  These  here  people — 
a  man  and  two  females — are 
darned  anxious  tew  get  daown 
tew  the  Carolines,  and  the 
Bosting  Board  of  Missions  paid 
me  five  hundred  dollars  each  for 
16 


His  Native  Wife  £•» 

'em,  to  give  'em  a  passage  in  my 
ship.  Consikently,  although  we 
saw  whales  often  enough,  I  only 
lowered  after  'em  three  times, 
when  they  was  close  to.  Yew 
see,  these  here  people  heving 
paid  a  big  passage  money,  air 
entitled  to  get  there  ez  quick  ez 
I  can  take  'em." 

An  incredulous  grin  went 
round  among  the  men,  which 
Bennett  affected  not  to  notice, 
then  he  resumed  by  remarking 
that  as  he  always  liked  to  do  the 
square  thing  he  was  going  to 
count  the  fifteen  hundred  dollars 
passage-money  as  part  of  the 
ship's  take. 

"  That  sounds  square,"  whis- 
pered a  white  sailor  to  a  young, 
seaman-like  man  who  sat  upon 
a  case  at  the  further  end  of  the 
17  B 


*S  His  Native  Wife 

store.  "  He  can't  be  a  bad  sort. 
I'm  for  one  if  he  wants  men." 

"Lies,"  said  the  young  fellow, 
"  but  don't  let  me  stop  you.  I 
can  tell  you  all  about  him  though. 
He's  the  two  ends  and  bight  of 
a  lying  swab." 

Having  given  those  present 
two  drinks  each,  Captain  Ben- 
nett got  to  business,  and  light- 
ing another  cigar,  asked  them 
if  any  of  them  wanted  to  try 
their  luck  in  the  Kellet  Passmore. 

But  although  they  drank  his 
rum  cheerfully  and  were  willing 
to  drink  more,  and  listened  with 
stolid  complacency  to  his  allur- 
ing inducements  about  a  full 
ship  in  twelve  months,  he  talked 
in  vain. 

Then  the  deep  fountains  of 
Captain  Amos  Bennett's  nautical 
18 


His  Native  Wife  S^ 

blasphemy  were  broken  up,  and 
having  violently  cursed  each 
man  separately  and  the  lot  col- 
lectively, and  insinuated  that 
they  were  not  fit  to  tend  cows, 
let  alone  kill  whales,  he  with- 
drew to  look  for  men  elsewhere. 

•  •  •  • 

An  hour  or  two  later  he  strode 
down  towards  his  boat  with  five 
Maori  hands  in  tow.  When 
close  to  the  beach  some  one 
hailed  him  from  the  rear,  and 
the  leathern-visaged  Yankee, 
chawing  fiercely  at  his  Manilla, 
slewed  round  on  his  heel  and, 
with  needless  profanity,  asked 

the  speaker  what  the  he 

wanted. 

"I  believe  you  want  men, 
sir." 

"Not  the  kinder  men  bum- 
19 


+S  His  Native  Wife 

min'  around  here,  anyway," 
snarled  Bennett,  recognising  in 
the  man  who  spoke  to  him  the 
young  fellow  who  had  sat  upon 
the  box  in  the  corner  of  the 
store ;  and  then  looking  at  the 
bronzed  face  and  muscular  figure 
of  his  questioner,  he  asked — 

"  Air  yew  one  of  them  Yahoos 
I  was  talkin'  to  while  back  ?  " 

"I  was  there,"  replied  the 
young  man  quietly,  "  but,"  and 
he  stepped  directly  in  front  of 
the  American, "  if  you  call  me  a 
Yahoo  you'll  lose  a  good  man 
for  the  Kellet  Passmore,  and  get 
a  hell  of  a  bashing  into  the 
bargain." 

The  skipper  of  the  Kellet 
Passmore  was  no  coward,  but 
he  knew  he  would  stand  a  poor 
show  with  the  man  before  him, 

20 


His  Native  Wife  §&• 

and  he  wanted  men  badly.  His 
thin  face  underwent  some 
hideous  squirmings  and  con- 
tortions intended  for  an  amused 
smile. 

"  Young  feller,  yew  hev  some 
spirit ;  I  kin  see  that  right  away. 
Naow,  I  do  want  men,  and  yew 
want  a  ship,  and  the  Kellet 
Passmore  is  jest " 

"  Stow  all  that,"  said  the  man 
coolly.  "  /  know  all  about  the 
Kellet  Passmore  and  all  about 
you,  too.  I'm  willing  to  go  in 
her  for  a  cruise.  I  think  it'll 
take  a  smarter  man  than  you  to 
haze  me,  so  don't  try  it  on." 

The  audacity  of  this  speech 
seemed  to  stagger  the  Yankee 
considerably,  but  he  soon  re- 
covered himself. 

"Yew  air  mighty  smart,  young 


21 


<*?  His  Native  Wife 

feller,"  he  said  presently,  in  a 
low,  rasping  voice,  and  his  thin 
lips  parted  and  showed  his  yellow 
teeth ;  "  and  what  sorter  per- 
sition  aboard  of  my  ship  may  I 
hev  the  honour  ev  asking  yew 
to  take  ?  " 

"  Any  d d  thing  you 

like.  I  hear  you've  got  a  lot 
of  cripples  for  boat-steerers, 
and  you  can't  get  a  better  man 
than  me." 

"Do  tell?"  and  Bennett 
grinned  sarcastically,  "  then 
you'll  be  a  darned  different  sort 
from  any  other  Britisher  that 
ever  went  whalin'.  Been  in  the 
business  long,  young  feller  ? " 

"Ten  years  or  so,  off  and 
on,"  was  the  impatient  reply. 

The  skipper  beckoned  to  his 
boat's  crew,  who  lay  upon  their 

22 


His  Native  Wife  £o- 

oars  waiting  for  him,  to  back  on 
to  the  beach,  then  with  a  quick 
glance  at  the  other  man,  he 
said — 

"  Yes,  come  aboard,  young 
feller  ;  I  guess  we'll  pull  to- 
gether. Seems  to  me  your  face 
is  kinder  familiar  like  tew  me. 
What  was  your  last  ship  ?  " 

"  The  Wanderer,  of  Sydney." 

"  Boat-steerer  ?  " 

"  No,  not  in  the  Wanderer. 
I  was  boat-steerer  six  years  ago 
in  the  Prudence  Hopkins,  of  New 
Bedford  ;  I  was  mate  of  the 
Wanderer.  Got  any  more  ques- 
tions ? " 

Another  attempt  at  a  plea- 
sant smile  distorted  Captain 
Bennett's  features.  "  Waal, 
naow,  see  here  ;  this  is  surpris- 
in' !  Why,  I  cert'nly  thought 
23 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

I  reckernised  yew.  Yew  was 
in  the  Wanderer  in  Vavau, 
daown  in  the  Friendly  Islands, 
'bout  a  year  ago.  Why,  I  re- 
member comin'  aboard  ev  that 
thar  ship  one  day." 

"So  do  I,"  nonchalantly  re- 
plied the  young  man ;  "a 
couple  of  your  hands — Kanakas 
— swam  off  to  our  ship  from 
yours  and  you  wanted  to  get 
them  back." 

"  That's  so,  mister.  I  re- 
member the  circumstance  ex- 
actly. Darned  lazy  cusses  they 
were,  too." 

"Think  so?  /don't.  We 
had  them  with  us  on  the  Wan- 
derer for  ten  months ;  better 
men  never  struck  a  fish.  Tou 
couldn't  get  anything  out  of 
them,  though." 
24 


His  Native  Wife  &*> 

"  Mister,  I  could  not.  They 
belonged  to  the  Matelotas 
Islands,  in  the  Carolines,  and 
when  my  second  mate  started  to 
rouse  'em  around  and  knock 
some  of  their  darned  Kanaka 
laziness  outer  them,  they 
actooaly  driv  a  knife  inter  him, 
and  darned  near  killed  him." 

"Served  him  d d  well 

right,"  was  the  curt  response. 

The  American  captain  kept 
silence  for  a  while,  and  nought 
broke  the  silence  save  the  sound 
of  the  oars  as  the  boat  swept 
quickly  toward  the  Kellet  Pass- 
more. 


CHAPTER  II. 

ON        BOARD       THE       "  KELLET 
PASSMORE." 

IN  a  few  minutes  the  boat 
ranged  alongside,  the  five 
new  Maori  hands,  preceded  by 
Captain  Bennett  and  the  other 
white  man,  clambered  up  on 
deck,  and  the  boat  was  about 
to  be  passed  astern,  when  the 
skipper  called  to  the  mate. 

"  Mr.  Herrera,  I  reckon  yew 

kin'    keep  the    boat  alongside. 

Thar's  goin'  ter  be  some  changes 

aboard  this  ship  in  a  few  min- 

26 


His  Native  Wife  $& 

utes,  and  thet  boat's  goin'  ashore 
agin." 

The  mate,  a  dark-browed, 
black-whiskered  man  of  thirty- 
five  or  so,  whose  regular  fea- 
tures and  olive  complexion 
showed  him  to  be  either  a 
Spaniard  or  a  Portuguese, 
answered  the  rasping  accents  of 
the  Yankee  skipper  with  a  soft, 
modulated  "  Aye,  aye,  sir,"  and 
nodding  a  "  Good-day,  sir,"  to 
the  stranger,  whom  he  could 
see  was  by  his  dress  and  de- 
meanour no  common  seaman, 
turned  away  to  execute  his  cap- 
tain's orders. 

"  Come  below,  mister,"  said 
Bennett,  leading  the  way  down 
below. 

There  was  no  one  in  the 
cabin  but  the  mulatto  steward, 
27 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

who  was  laying  the  table,  and 
the  captain,  taking  his  seat, 
motioned  his  visitor  to  another. 

"  Yew  was  savin',  Mr. ; 

I  disremember  naow  ef  yew 
told  me  your  name  ?  " 

"  Barrington — John  Barring- 
ton,"  said  the  other,  looking 
directly  into  Bennett's  eyes 
and  stroking  his  well-trimmed, 
pointed  beard. 

"Waal,  Mr.  Barrington,  I 
ain't  agoin'  tew  jaw  long  over 
this  business.  I  want  men — 
that's  what  I  came  in  here  to 
this  rotten  hole  fur.  Waal,  I've 
got  five  Maoris,  and  I  reckon 
that's  all  I  will  get.  But  I  want 
a  second  mate." 

Barrington  nodded,  and  still 
stroking  his  beard,  waited  for 
more. 

28 


His  Native  Wife  &* 

"  Waal,  look  here.  I  rather 
think  you'll  suit  me,  although," 
and  here  the  skipper  scratched 
a  bony  cheek  meditatively  and 
squinted  atrociously, "  although 
yew  air  a  Britisher,  and " 

"  And  you're  a  Down  East 
Yank,  used  to  Down  East  mates, 
and  Dago  second  mates,  and 
mangy  greasers  of  all  sorts.  I'm 
a  Britisher,  as  you  say  ;  but  if 
you  don't  want  me,  why  the 
blazes  did  you  bring  me  aboard  ? 
This  rotten  old  crate  of  yours 
isn't  the  only  whale-ship  in  the 
Pacific  !  "  and  Barrington  took 
up  his  hat. 

"Sit  daown,  mister, sit  daown, 
and  don't  yew  use  sich  vi'lent 
language,"  and  Bennett  indi- 
cated by  a  backward  jerk  of  his 
dirty  thumb  and  another  vil- 
29 


<*?  His  Native  Wife 

lainous  squint,  a  half-opened 
cabin  door  at  his  back,  "  thar's 
females  in  thar,  mister — females 
from  Bosting,"  and  he  grinned. 

Barrington  muttered  an 
apology,  not  to  the  captain,  but 
to  the  soft  murmur  of  women's 
voices  that  he  now  heard  for  the 
first  time. 

The  hatchet-faced  skipper 
pondered  a  moment,  and  then 
said  briskly, 

"  Look  here,  naow,  it's  no 
use  either  you  or  me  backin' 
and  fillin'  in  this  ridiklous 
kinder  way.  My  second  mate 
wants  to  leave,  an'  I  ain't  too 
dreadful  anxious  to  stop  him — 
he  don't  suit  me  by  no  means. 
Naow,  yew  want  a  ship  an'  I 
want  an  officer.  I  ain't  got  but 
two  boat-headers  in  the  ship 
30 


His  Native  Wife  &*• 

worth  a   cuss  ;  so   ef  yew  are 
willin',  waal,  I'm  willin'." 

"I  don't  want  to  make  the 
cruise  with  you,  I  only  want  to 
get  up  to  the  Carolines.  If  you 
like  to  put  me  ashore  anywhere 
near  Ponape,  or  Truk,  or  a  little 
island  called  L6sap,.rm  willing 
to  do  second  mate's  duty  aboard. 
I  don't  want  a  '  cut  in '  if  we 
kill  any  whales  between  here 
and  there — all  I  want  is  a  pas- 
sage to  any  one  of  the  places 
I've  named." 

"  Young  man,  ef  yew  want  a 
free  passage  in  this  ship,  I  recken 
yew  hev  got  to  pay  for  it." 

"  Just  as  you  like  ;  I'm  able 
and  willing  to  pay  ;  but  then, 
mind,  I  don't  do  a  hand's  turn 
aboard  this  ship  if  I  pay  my 
passage." 

31 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

"  What  might  be  your  objek, 
mister,  in  going  daown  thar  at 
all,  ef  yew  don't  mind  my 
askin'?" 

An  angry  reply  was  on  the 
young  man's  lips ;  but  he  stopped 
it. 

"  I  don't  see  how  the  devil  it 
concerns  you — if  I  go  as  a  pas- 
senger— but  I  will  tell  you.  I 
was  trading  down  on  Ponape  a 
little  over  two  years  ago,  and 
got  tired  of  it.  I  ran  out  of 
trade  goods,  and  had  no  money 
to  buy  any.  So  I  shipped  again 
in  the  Wanderer ',  and  the  skipper 
landed  my  native  wife  at  Losap, 
where  her  mother's  people  be- 
long. She's  to  wait  there  till 
I  return.  Then  I'm  going  back 
to  Ponape,  or  Yap,  or  any  other 
place  where  there's  money  to  be 
32 


His  Native  Wife  &* 

made.  I've  got  no  trade  goods, 
but  have  money  enough  to  buy 
some  from  the  first  ship  that 
comes  along." 

Bennett  considered  a  moment 
or  two  and  then  said,  "  Waal, 
young  fellow,  I  recken  we  can 
make  a  deal — whar  do  yew 
say  yew  want  to  go  ashore  ?  " 

"  Losap,  if  you  happen  to  hit 
it.  That's  where  my  wife  is 
living  ;  if  not,  Truk,  or  one  of 
the  islands  thereabouts  will  do 
me.  I'm  bound  to  get  a  pas- 
sage to  Losap  from  Truk  in  one 
of  the  big  canoes  that  go  there 
once  a  year." 

"  It's  a  deal,  mister,  I'll  send 
my  second  mate  ashore  here, 
and  be  darned  to  him,  and  yew 
can  take  his  place.  Ef  we  don't 
get  set  too  fur  to  the  eastward  by 
33  c 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

the  current — there's  nothin'  but 
ragin'  calms  and  blarsted  hurri 
canes  up  about  there  this  time 
of  the  year — I'll  land  yew  on 
Losap." 

"  Right,"  said  Barrington, 
"  when  you  send  the  boat  ashore 
here  with  your  second  mate,  let 
your  men  get  my  chest  from 
the  store.  It's  all  ready  packed, 
and  nothing  to  pay  on  it." 

"  Naow,  thet's  business.  I 
kin  see  that  yew  an'  me'll  git 
along  bully.  Here,  steward, 
bring  us  suthin'  to  drink,  an' 
then  tell  Mr.  Duggan  I  want 
him." 

Having  secured  a  man  whom 
he  was  sure  would  prove  a  good 
officer,  Captain  Amos  Bennett 
was  now  in  a  good  temper,  and 
in  a  few  minutes  after  he  had 
34 


His  Native  Wife  $+• 

settled  with  Barrington  he  had 
told  him  all  about  the  voyage  of 
the  Kellet  Passmore  since  she  had 
left  New  Bedford,  and  the  short- 
comings of  his  crew.  Then  his 
natural  inborn  curiosity  asserted 
itself  again,  and  he  began  to 
question  Barrington  as  to  his 
reasons  for  leaving  the  Wanderer^ 
"Which,  fer  a  colonial  whaler 
was  most  extror'nary  lucky.*' 

Drinking  off  his  grog,  the 
young  man  put  his  hand  inside 
his  coat,  drew  out  some  papers 
and  laid  them  on  the  table. 
There  was  an  angry  light  in 
his  eye,  which  the  inquisitive 
American  was  not  slow  to  per- 
ceive, and  he  began — 

"  Waal,  I  don't  want  to  pester 
yew  onnesscessarily  like,  but  I 

thought " 

35 


<*£  His  Native  Wife 

Harrington  interrupted  him. 

"  That's  all  right.  I  left  the 
Wanderer  in  Sydney  two  months 
ago,  and  came  over  here  to  look 
out  for  another  ship.  Why  I 
left  her  doesn't  concern  you. 
I  was  not  asked  to  leave  her, 
as  that  will  show  you,  Captain 
Bennett,"  and  he  handed  him  a 
letter.  "  Do  you  know  Captain 
Codrington  ?  He's  a  country- 
man of  yours." 

"  Rather  think  I  did.  He's 
from  daown  my  way — Martha's 
Vineyard — an'  a  real  smart  man, 
although  he  did  take  to  whalin' 
under  the  British  flag,"  and 
Captain  Bennett  gave  an  amic- 
able snort,  and  took  the  paper 
offered  him. 

It  contained  but  a  few  lines, 
saying  that  the  writer,  William 
36 


His  Native  Wife  §o 

Codrington,  regretted  that  Har- 
rington had  decided  to  leave  the 
Wanderer^  and  urging  him  to 
reconsider  the  matter. 

Just  then  the  steward  came 
in,  and  Bennett,  handing  the 
letter  back,  said — 

"  Whar's  Mr.  Duggan, 
steward  ? " 

"  On  deck,  sir,"  answered 
Herrera,  the  mate,  who  just 
then  came  in  the  cabin. 

"  Send  him  down  then,"  and 
an  unpleasant  look  came  over 
Bennett's  face. 

The  mate,  as  he  turned  to  go, 
passed  the  half-opened  cabin  door 
on  the  starboard  side.  He  pulled 
it  to  gently  and,  with  something 
like  a  smile  on  his  face,  went  on 
deck  and  called  out  :  "  Mr. 
Duggan,  come  below  please." 
37 


*S  His  Native  Wife 

In  a  few  seconds  a  short,  stout 
man  tramped  down  the  com- 
panion-way and  stood  in  front 
of  the  captain. 

"  Mr.  Duggan,  yew  don't  suit 
me,  and  I'm  quite  willin'  fur 
yew  tew  go  ashore " 

"  And  I'm  d — d  glad  to  get 
clear  of  you  and  this  rotten  old 
hooker  of  a  barque.  You're  a 
lyin'  bully,  and  this  ship  ain't 
fit  for  a  white  man  to  sail  in." 

"  Not  fur  a  white-livered  sort 
like  yew,  Duggan,"  snarled  back 
Bennett.  "  Why,  yew  ain't  fit 
fur  anything  better'n  cod- 
fishin'." 

"  He  is  too  good  and  honest 
a  man  to  remain  on  board  this 
ship,  Captain  Bennett,"  said  a 
soft  voice,  and  a  young  woman 
opened  the  cabin  door  that  the 
38 


His  Native  Wife  &&• 

mate  had  closed,  and  stepped 
into  the  main  cabin. 

Bennett  dropped  his  eyes  and 
made  no  answer. 

"  And  so  you  are  going,  Mr. 
Duggan,"  she  said,  "my  sister 
and  I  will  miss  you  very  much. 
Good-bye,"  and  she  put  her 
white  hand  into  Duggan's  huge 
paw. 

"  Good-bye,  Miss  Trenton, 
and  God  bless  you,  miss,  and 
bring  you  safe  home  again." 

Almost  ere  Harrington  could 
get  more  than  a  glance  at  the 
girl's  pale  face  and  deep  hazel 
eyes,  she  had  entered  her  cabin 
again  and  closed  the  door,  and 
the  second  mate  was  addressing 
his  farewell  remarks  to  the 
captain,  the  which,  once  he  was 
assured  that  the  young  lady  was 
39  • 


<+§  His  Native  Wife 

out  of  hearing,  he  concluded  by 
consigning  Bennett  to  flames  and 
perdition  in  a  vigorous  but  lucid 
manner.  Then  he  tramped  off 
on  deck  again,  where  the  mate 
was  awaiting  him. 

"  Good-bye,  Duggan,"  said 
Herrera,  holding  out  his  hand, 
"  I  am  sorry  you  and  the  old 
man  can't  agree ;  but  you  and 
I  part  friends,  don't  we  ?  " 

"Oh  yes  —  yes.  I've  got 
nothing  against  you.  You 
only  knock  the  men  about 
from  force  of  habit ;  Bennett 
does  it  from  pure  natural 
cussedness.  Well,  anyway,  I 
wish  the  ship  luck." 

"  Thanks.  I  don't  like  Ben- 
nett much  myself,  but  I  like  the 
old  Passmore." 

"Especially  when  there's  a 
*  40 


His  Native  Wife  &* 

passenger  like  Kate  Trenton 
aboard.  Look  here,  Herrera, 
just  you  mind  your  bearings. 
You  ain't  a  fit  man  for  a  girl 
like  that." 

The  dark,  handsome  face 
flushed,  and  with  a  curt 
"good-bye"  the  mate  walked 
away,  and  Duggan  went  down 
over  the  side  into  the  boat  and 
was  pulled  ashore. 

By  sunset  the  Kellet  Passmore 
was  underweigh  again,  heading 
for  Tongatabu,  in  the  Friendly 
Islands,  where  Bennett  intended 
cruising  for  a  few  weeks  before 
going  to  the  northward. 
•  ••••••• 

Just  before  supper  that  even- 
ing, Barrington  went  below  to 
get   a  pipe   of  tobacco.      The 
lamp  had  not  yet  been  lit,  and 
41 


••£  His  Native  Wife 

the  spacious  cabin  of  the  old 
barque  was  in  semi-darkness. 
He  was  turning  to  go  on  deck 
again,  when  Captain  Bennett, 
who  was  standing  talking  to 
some  one,  called  him  over  and 
introduced  him  to  the  Reverend 
Hosea  Parker. 

"By  God," muttered  Barring- 
ton,  under  his  breath,  "it's  that 
meddlesome  Yankee  Baptist 
parson  that  was  always  worry- 
ing Nadee  about  her  soul,"  but 
he  put  out  his  hand. 

"  How  are  you,  Mr.  Barring- 
ton  ?  Is  it  well  with  you  ?  " 
said  the  missionary,  who  always 
affected  a  Scriptural  style  or 
address.  "  'Tis  indeed  strange 
we  meet  again." 

"I'm  all  right,  thank  you," 
said  Barrington  quietly,  and 
42 


His  Native  Wife  &*• 

then  he  added,  "I  did  not 
imagine  it  was  you  and  Mrs. 
Parker  who  were  on  board ; 
I  trust  she  is  well.'* 

"Well,  I  thank  the  Lord, 
Mr.  Harrington,  she  will  be 
here  presently.  And  how 
comes  it,  Mr.  Harrington,  that 
we  meet  you  here  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I'm  getting  back  again. 
And  may  I  ask  the  same  question 
of  you,  Mr.  Parker.  How 
comes  it  that  you  are  so  far 
away  from  Ponape?" 

"It  pleased  Providence  that 
the  Morning  Star,  our  missionary 
ship,  should  be  cast  away  on 
Strong's  Island  a  year  back. 
My  wife  and  I,  who  were  then 
in  America,  thus  had  no  means 
of  returning  to  the  Vineyard, 
save  by  a  whale-ship." 
43 


+?  His  Native  Wife 

"Ah  !  I  see,"  and  Barrington, 
who  had  no  wish  to  hear  any 
more,  went  on  deck. 

"Sez  it  was  Providence  ez 
wrecked  that  thar  brig,  does 
he  ?  "  said  Captain  Bennett  to 
his  new  second  mate,  as  he 
followed  him  on  deck,  "waal, 
ef  that  ain't  rich  !  Providence, 
hey  ?  It  was  just  because  the 
darned  wooden-headed  galoot 
of  a  captain  hed'n't  got  sense 
enough  tew  try  and  tow  her  off 
when  the  current  swep'  her  again' 
the  rocks ;  instead  of  doin'  which 
he  let  go  his  anchor  in  'bout  a 
mile  deep  of  water,  right  'long- 
side  the  reef,  and  trusted  to 
Providence.  Consikently,  when 
she  swung  round  she  bashed 
her  starn  inter  pulp  on  the  reef. 
I  hain't  got  no  patience  with 
44 


His  Native  Wife  &* 

creatures  that  get  inter  a  hell  of 
a  mess  and  then  start  yowlin' 
'bout  the  will  of  Providence  and 
sich.  It's  jes'  sickenin'." 

Half  an  hour  afterwards, 
when  Harrington  came  down  to 
supper,  Helen  Parker  rose  to 
meet  him  with  extended  hand. 
Her  face  was  deadly  pale,  hut 
the  quick  eye  of  Jose  Herrera 
saw  that  her  hand  trembled  and 
a  deep  rose  colour  momentarily 
flooded  her  face  from  brow  to 
chin. 

Some  mere  common-place 
escaped  her  as  Barrington  took 
her  hand,  and  she  said — 

"  This  is  my  sister,  Mr.  Bar- 
rington. I  have  just  been  telling 
her  that  you  and  I  were  not 
strangers." 

45 


<+§  His  Native  Wife 

The  hazel-eyed,  curly-haired 
girl  who  sat  by  her,  rose  and 
shook  hands  with  the  new  officer, 
and  said,  with  a  straight  look 
at  the  tan-hided  countenance  of 
Amos  Bennett — 

"  How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Bar- 
rington  ?  I  am  sorry  Mr. 
Duggan  has  gone  ;  but  I  hope  I 
shall  like  you  as  much  as  I  did 
him." 

The  new  second  mate  laughed, 
and  even  Bennett  gave  his 
cachinnatory  snuffle ;  but  Mrs. 
Parker  kept  her  pale  face  bent 
over  her  plate,  and  did  not  raise 
it  again  till  supper  was  over. 

•  •  •  •  • 

"  I  suppose,"  said  Barrington 

that  night  to  Herrera,  as  the  two 

sat  smoking  in  the  latter's  cabin 

for  a  few  minutes,  "  that  that 

46 


His  Native  Wife  &* 

pretty  girl  is  going  down  to  the 
Carolines  to  marry  some  pasty- 
faced  Yankee  missionary  like 
the  Reverend  Hosea  Parker." 

Herrera,  who  lay  out  at  full 
length  in  his  bunk  smoking  a 
Manilla,  raised  himself  on  one 
elbow  and  looked  searchingly  at 
his  fellow-officer,  his  black  eyes 
shining  and  sparkling  in  the 
darkness. 

"Not  if  I  can  help  it,  Mr. 
Harrington,"  he  said. 

Harrington  was  startled,  but 
said  nothing ;  and  then,  Herrera, 
still  leaning  his  black  bearded 
chin  upon  his  hand,  spoke  again 
in  his  soft,  finely  modulated 
voice. 

"  Which,  Mr.  Harrington, 
think  you,  is  the  most  beautiful 
of  the  two  ?  " 

47 


<$  His  Native  Wife 

"I  don't  know,  I'm  sure," 
replied  Harrington,  carelessly ; 
"both  are  good-looking." 

"  Good-looking  !  Mother  of 
God  !  Both  are  lovely — and, 
Senor  Harrington,  the  wife  of 
that  ugly  devil  of  a  padre 
looked  at  you  in  a  way  that 
I  would  give  five  years  of  my 
life  for  her  sister  to  so  look  at 
me.  My  friend,  that  woman  is 
in  love  with  you  !  " 

"You  are  mistaken,  Mr. 
Herrera,"  said  Harrington, 
coldly,  "  and  I  may  as  well 
tell  you  that  I've  got  a  wife — 
as  good  a  girl  as  ever  I  want ; 
and  it's  not  in  my  nature  to  run 
after  any  one  else's  wife  ;  and 
I'm  going  back  to  her  now,  poor 
little  devil ! " 

The  dark-faced  mate  laid  back 
48 


His  Native  Wife  &^ 

again  and  smiled  softly  to  him- 
self. 

Presently  he  resumed,  "  I  do 
not  want  to  ask  impertinent 
questions  of  you,  but  is  your 
wife  young  and  beautiful  ?  " 

Barrington  nodded. 

"  Ah  !  Then  you  have  no 
eyes  for  another  woman.  But 
tell  me,  Is  it  not  a  very  wonder- 
ful thing  that  such  a  beautiful 
woman  as  the  padre's — parson, 
as  you  call  him — this  padre's 
wife,  should  marry  such  a  man  ? 
Dios  !  he  is  as  ugly  as  a  sun- 
fish,  and  with  no  more  brains." 

"  I  daresay  he's  a  good 
enough  man  in  his  way,"  re- 
plied Barrington  ;  "  but,  as  you 
say,  he's  got  no  brains." 

The  mate  laughed.  "  And 
she  cares  no  more  for  him  than 
49  D 


<*£  His  Native  Wife 

she  does  for  black  Manuel,  the 
ship's  cook  !  Truly,  it  is  won- 
derful that  so  sweet  a  woman 
should  marry  a  miserable  little 
priest." 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE    WIFE    OF    THE    REVEREND 
HOSEA    PARKER. 

CERTAINLY,  there  was 
something  to  wonder 
about,  for  the  Reverend  Hosea 
Parker  was  about  the  last  man 
in  the  world  one  would  expect 
to  see  a  lively  and  intelligent 
woman  marry,  for,  while  pos- 
sessing features  as  homely  as  a 
stone  jug,  they  were  not  nearly 
so  expressive.  Like  a  great 
many  of  his  colleagues,  how- 
ever, he  was  not  as  bad  as  he 
Si 


<*£  His  Native  Wife 

looked,  and  honestly  believed 
that  Providence  intended  him 
for  a  great  mission — i.e.,  to 
convert  the  heathen  from  his 
blindness.  Until  the  age  of 
thirty  or  so  he  had,  to  use  his 
own  words,  been  "  in  the  world, 
a  worldly  man,"  earning  a  liv- 
ing as  a  compositor  on  a  Boston 
religious  newspaper  largely 
devoted  to  alarmist  statements 
about  the  vast  numbers  of  South 
Sea  Islanders  who  were  hurry- 
ing to  perdition  for  want  of 
missionary  effort.  The  con- 
fined nature  of  his  occupation 
and  a  course  of  attendances  at 
revival  meetings,  at  one  of 
which  he  fell  down  in  a  fit, 
had  led  to  a  serious  illness, 
from  which  he  recovered  a 
"concerned"  man.  Six  months 
52 


His  Native  Wife  &* 

afterwards  he  was  accepted  as 
a  "  labourer "  in  the  mission 
field  ;  and  a  natural,  rough 
eloquence  he  possessed  so 
worked  upon  the  feelings  of 
Helen  Trenton,  one  of  the 
young  members  of  a  Boston 
church  in  which  he  was  preach- 
ing one  Sunday,  that  she — in 
her  turn — went  into  hysterics. 
On  being  brought  to  she  found 
the  Rev.  Hosea  Parker  and  her 
mother  by  her  side  in  her 
parents'  house,  and  they  being 
very  wealthy  but  pious  people, 
requested  the  rugged  -  faced 
preacher  to  question  her  as  to 
whether  she  was  feeling  "  con- 
cerned." The  result  was  that 
— while  under  a  sort  of  mild 
religious  mania — twelve  months 
later  she  became  Mrs.  Hosea 
53 


*S  His  Native  Wife 

and  went  out  with  him  to  the 
Caroline  Islands.  Six  years' 
residence  among  the  unconven- 
tional people  of  those  parts 
convinced  her  that  if  her  hus- 
band was  intended  for  a  saver 
of  souls  she  was  not,  and  that 
Providence  or  the  tropical 
climate  had  dealt  very  hardly 
with  her  in  the  matter  of  her 
complexion.  After  a  short 
visit  to  her  native  city,  she 
was  now  returning  with  her 
husband  with  a  despairing  feel- 
ing in  her  heart  that  she  wasn't 
so  good  a  woman  as  her  Boston 
friends  supposed  her  to  be,  and 
that  the  advent  of  a  young 
English  trader  to  Ponape, 
where  she  was  engaged  in 
hopelessly  "  labouring  "  to 
instruct  the  native  girls  in 
54 


His  Native  Wife  &*> 

orthodox  morality,  had  a  good 
deal  to  do  with  it. 

But  that  was  three  or  four 
years  ago,  and  the  English 
trader  had  gone  away  out  of 
her  life  altogether,  when  one 
day  a  whale-ship  called  in  to 
buy  turtle  and  poultry  and  let 
the  crew  indulge  in  the  usual 
amusements  common  to  whalers' 
crews  in  the  North  Pacific 
Islands. 

That  evening  the  Reverend 
Hosea  Parker  had  told  her  in 
his  solemn,  wooden-headed 
manner  that  the  captain  of  the 
whaler  had  informed  him  that 
he  had  lost  one  of  his  officers 
during  the  voyage,  and  had 
shipped  Barrington  in  his  place. 

"  And  I  really  must  say, 
Helen,  that  I  am  not  sorry  to 
55 


+$  His  Native  Wife 

see  that  young  man  go  away 
from  here.  His  manner  of  life 
here  is  a  standing  reproach  to 
us  both,  and  I  have  wrestled 
hard  for  him,  but  without  avail." 

"  He  is  no  worse  than  most 
of  the  white  men  in  these 
islands,  Hosea,"  she  had  said 
timidly.  "You  must  remem- 
ber that  by  the  native  custom 
Nadee  is  his  wife — just  as  much 
as  I  am  yours.  I  am  afraid, 
Hosea,  that  you  and  I  are  a 
little  bit  prejudiced  against  John 
Harrington." 

Poor  little  woman !  She 
wasn't  prejudiced  against  the 
good-looking,  devil-may-care 
English  trader,  but  she  in- 
cluded herself — merely  as  a 
salve  to  her  wifely  conscience. 

The  Reverend  Hosea  sat 
56 


His  Native  Wife  $&• 

down  and,  placing  his  hands 
upon  his  knees,  looked  into  his 
wife's  face  with  the  same  ex- 
pression he  was  wont  to  employ 
when  reprimanding  one  of  his 
native  girl  pupils  for  indulging 
in  the  forbidden  pleasures  of  a 
heathen  dance  on  the  beach  by 
moonlight. 

"  Have  you  possibly  for- 
gotten what  that  young  man 
said  to  me  when  I  called  upon 
him  with  reference  to  the  de- 
plorable and  wicked  life  he  is 
leading?" 

Mrs.  Hosea  had  not  for- 
gotten. Indeed,  she  had  been 
present  and  well  within  hearing 
on  the  occasion,  and  was  not 
likely  to  forget  the  incident. 

However,  being  a  wise 
woman,  she  said  nothing,  and 
57 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

when  that  evening  Mr.  John 
Harrington  strolled  nonchalantly 
up  to  the  mission  house  to 
say  good-bye  to  the  Reverend 
Hosea,  to  whom,  although  he 
had  always  been  at  loggerheads 
with  him,  the  trader  bore  no 
malice,  pretty  Mrs.  Parker 
stifled  her  desire  to  cry,  and 
said  good-bye  bravely  enough. 
Then,  when  from  the  mission 
house  verandah  she  saw  the 
luscana  slowly  sail  out  of 
Jakoits  Harbour,  she  went  back 
into  the  sitting-room  and,  sob- 
bing softly  to  herself,  wondered 
what  would  have  happened  if 
she  had  met  handsome  Jack 
Harrington  before  the  Reverend 
Hosea  Parker  had  convinced 
her  that  she  was  a  fitting 
colleague  for  him  to  help  to 
58 


His  Native  Wife  §+• 

save  the  souls  of  the  "  perish- 
ing "  heathen  in  the  Caroline 
Islands.  And  so,  as  she 
thought,  the  one  man  who 
could  have  been  anything  to 
her  passed  away  out  of  her  life, 
and  his  absence  seemed  to  ac- 
centuate the  personal  homeli- 
ness of  feature  of  the  Reverend 
Hosea  more  and  more  every 
day,  so  much  so  that  one  day 
during  the  voyage  back  she 
told  her  sister  Kate,  who  was 
coming  out  to  the  islands  with 
her  to  stay,  that  she  didn't  care 
a  straw  about  either  the  dull- 
minded  man  she  had  married 
or  the  heathen  in  whom  he 
took  such  a  useless  interest. 

The  big  hazel  eyes  of  Kate 
Trenton     opened    in     shocked 
surprise.      The   day  had    been 
59 


<*$  His  Native  Wife 

close  and  sultry,  and  the  Kellet 
Passmore  was  lying  becalmed 
with  the  pitch  bubbling  up 
between  her  deck  planking,  and 
the  two  women  felt  half  stifled. 

"  Poor  Helen,"  said  the  girl, 
stroking  her  sister's  face,  "the 
weather  has  upset  you.  I  know 
I  feel  it  myself.  Even  Mr. 
Herrera  is  going  about  wearing 
a  wide  straw  hat  instead  of  his 
usual  cap." 

"Kate,"  and  Mrs.  Parker 
sat  up  on  the  lounge  where  she 
had  been  lying  down  endea- 
vouring to  read,  "  Kate,  do  you 
know  that  Mr.  Herrera  seems 
to  take  altogether  too  much 
interest  in  you.  You  surely 
would  not  be  foolish  enough  to 
let  yourself  care  for  him  ?  " 

Kate  Trenton  turned  her  face 
60 


His  Native  Wife  Se- 
away for  a  moment  or  two  from 
her  sister's  eyes,  and  made  no 
answer,  but  her  cheek  reddened 
visibly. 

Suddenly  the  older  woman 
drew  her  down  beside  her. 

"  What  a  hypocrite  I  am, 
Kate,  to  talk  like  this  to  you. 
Of  course  I  know  you  love  him 
and  he  you,  and " 

The  girl  put  her  hand  over 
her  sister's  mouth. 

"  Hush,  Helen,  don't  say 
that." 

"  But  I  do  say  it,  dear. 
Why  shouldn't  you  ?  Don't 
make  the  horrible  mistake  that 
I  have  made — marry  a  man  to 
please  your  parents  and  then 
meet  some  one  that  you  like 
better." 

"  Helen  !  "    and    Kate    put 
61 


*$  His  Native  Wife 

her  arms  lovingly  around  her, 
alarmed  at  something  that 
sounded  dangerously  like  the 
first  break  of  a  sob  in  her  voice, 
"surely,  dear,  you  have  never 
met  any  one  whom  you  have  cared 
for  in  that  manner  but  Hosea?" 

The  mention  of  Hosea's  name 
broke  up  Mrs.  Parker's  resolu- 
tion never  to  tell  Kate  anything 
about  the  matter. 

"  Yes,  I  did,"  she  whimpered, 
"and  the  horrible  part  of  it 
was  that  he  lived  quite  close  to 
us,  and  although  he  and  I  met 
very  often,  I  don't  believe  he 
ever  gave  me  a  thought,  and 
when  he  went  away  the  cruel 
wretch  asked  me  if  I  would 
mind  letting  (sob)  his  wife  stay 
with  me  (sob)  until  he  came 
(sob)  back  for  her." 
62 


His  Native  Wife  &&• 

"  Helen,  what  dreadful  things 
you  are  telling  me !  What 
does  it  all  mean?  Who  was 
this  man  ? " 

"  I  might  as  well  tell  you  all 
about  it,  Kate,"  she  said  wearily. 
"I  don't  suppose  I  shall  ever 
see  him  again,  and  I  want  you 
to  see  what  a  silly  fool  I  have 
been  about  a  man  that  I  sup- 
pose would  have  made  game 
about  *  the  sky-pilot's  wife ' 
among  his  rough  associates  had 
he  known  that  I  cared  for  him." 

"  Poor  Helen  !  "  and  Kate 
Trenton's  hand  stole  into  hers. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

"WE  CANNOT  PUT  NEW  WINE 
INTO  OLD  BOTTLES." 

"  T  TE  was,  or  rather  had 
•1  ^  been,  a  mate  on  a 
Sydney  whale-ship,  but  quar- 
relled with  his  captain  " — her 
face  flushed  scarlet — "quarrelled 
over  a  native  girl,  and  Barring- 
ton — that  was  his  name — broke 
the  captain's  jaw  with  a  blow 
of  his  fist  and  then  deserted. 
All  this  took  place  at  an  island 
hundreds  of  miles  away  from 
Ponape.  The  ship  sailed  with- 
64 


His  Native  Wife  So» 

out  him,  and  a  few  months 
afterwards  he  turned  up  at  a 
native  village  about  four  miles 
from  the  mission  ;  he  brought 
with  him  a  young  girl  and  an 
old  hag.  The  natives  took  a 
great  liking  to  him,  and  he 
lived  with  them  for  a  month 
or  so  until  a  trading  ship  called. 
The  captain  sold  him  some 
trade  goods  ;  and  the  next 
thing  we  heard  was  that  the 
chief  had  built  him  a  house — 
for  himself  and  Nadee,  his 
native  wife." 

"  Helen  !  Surely  you  could 
never  have  cared  for  a  man 
who  would  disgrace  himself  in 
that  way,  even  had  you  been  a 
free  woman." 

Mrs.  Parker  laughed  sarcas- 
tically. 

65  B 


+$  His  Native  Wife 

"  My  dear  Kate,  when  you 
have  lived  a  few  years  in  the 
islands  you  will  hold  different 
opinions  about  a  man  *  disgrac- 
ing* himself." 

"  It  is  a  disgrace,  Helen," 
said  the  girl  hotly.  "  Suppos- 
ing one  of  our  brothers  married 
a  coloured  woman,  what  would 
you  and  I — what  would  the 
world  think  ?  " 

"  In  America  or  Europe,  that 
he  had  shocking  bad  taste — in 
the  South  Sea  Islands,  that  he 
meant  to  settle  down  and  live 
decently." 

"  Helen  !  How  can  you,  a 
missionary's  wife,  say  such 
things  ?  What  would  your 
husband ?" 

"  My  husband,  Kate,  is  only 
a  unit  in  a  vast  crowd  of  silly 
66 


His  Native  Wife  £©» 

people  who  throw  away  millions 
of  dollars  every  year  in  sending 
out  people  sillier  than  them- 
selves to  worry  heathen  people 
about  their  souls." 

"  Oh,  Helen,  Helen,  is  this 
the  end  of  your  once  great 
hope  ?  I  remember  how  fer- 
vent you  once  were  about  com- 
ing out  with  Hosea." 

"  Oh,  yes,  so  do  I,  Kate,"  she 
answered  desperately,  pushing 
back  her  hair  wearily  from  her 
temples,  "but  I  know  better 
now.  I  wish  mother  and  father 
hadn't  been  quite  so  pious. 
Then  I  would  never  have  met 
and  married  that  estimable 
blockhead,  the  Reverend 
Ho " 

"  For  shame,  Helen." 

"  I'm  sick  and  tired  of  it  all, 
67 


•*£  His  Native  Wife 

Kate.  If  you  were  not  with 
me  I  would  jump  overboard. 
Perhaps  if  I  hadn't  met  that 
wretched  man  I  would  have 
gone  on  all  right  to  the  end 
in  the  laudable  effort  to  put 
new  wine  into  old  bottles, 
meaning  thereby  cramming 
simple  native  minds  with 
Boston-made  theology." 

"  Helen,"  and  Kate  Trenton 
wound  her  arms  round  her 
sister's  waist,  "  I'm  so  sorry, 
dear.  Try  and  put  this  man 
out  of  your  mind." 

"  Don't  be  such  a  little  fool. 
Of  course  it's  all  finished  Jong 
ago  ;  but  oh,  Kit,  I  was  sorry 
to  see  him  go.  He  was  so 
different  from  every  other  man 
I  have  ever  met.  Hosea  dis- 
liked him  intensely." 
68 


His  Native  Wife  §+ 

"  Quite  right,  too,"  said  Kate, 
stoutly  ;  "  how  dared  any  man 
make  love  to  you  ?  " 

"  That  is  just  what  he  did 
not  do.  He  only  came  to  the 
mission  house  occasionally,  and 
Hosea  talked  such  dreadful 
twaddle  to  him  in  that  hideously 
stupid,  dull  voice  of  his  that  he 
was  glad  to  get  away." 

"  What  could  such  a  man  as 
he,  Helen,  have  to  talk  about 
in  common  with  your  husband." 

"A  good  deal,  Kit.  He 
had  a  great  influence  over  the 
natives,  and  Hosea  was  jealous 
and  made  no  secret  of  it.  Some- 
times there  would  nearly  be  a 
quarrel,"  and  here  she  laughed, 
"  and  I  would  enjoy  it — any- 
thing was  better  than  listening 
to  Hosea's  monotonous  droning 
69 


<*?  His  Native  Wife 

about  the  perversity  of  some 
chief  or  other  who  didn't  want 
Christianity,  but  did  want  square 
gin  and  axes  and  knives  and 
muskets,  and  refused  to  cut 
down  his  harem  to  one.  There, 
don't  be  shocked,  dear,  but  just 
sit  quietly  and  listen.  It's  such 
a  relief  for  me  to  break  out  at 
last  and  let  you  see  what  a 
scandalous  creature  I  am.  But, 
oh,  Kit,  dear,  just  imagine  what 
I  have  gone  through  for  nearly 
six  years.  Night  after  night, 
to  sit  in  the  front  room  of  the 
mission  house  and  listen  to 
Hosea  droning  out  his  transla- 
tions of  the  Scriptures  to  our 
sleepy  native  servants  ;  then  to 
go  to  bed  and  awake  suddenly 
in  the  silence  of  the  night  and 
hear  the  droning  of  the  surf — 
70 


His  Native  Wife  &* 

which  was  almost  as  bad  as 
Hosea's — on  the  reef  miles 
away.  Sometimes  I  would  get 
up  and  have  a  good  cry  and 
wish  that  I  were  dead.  Perhaps 
if  I  had  had  a  child  to  love,  the 
life  I  lived  would  have  been  less 
horrible." 

"  Were  there  no  other  white 
men  near  you  but  that — that 
man  ? " 

"  Oh  yes,  several.  But  none 
like  him.  There  were  three 
or  four  traders  on  the  island, 
ignorant,  rough  men,  but  they 
never  came  near  the  mission, 
except  on  one  occasion  when 
one  of  them  named  Paddy  Kerr 
called  on  behalf  of  his  colleagues 
to  tell  Hosea  that  he  was  a 
meddlesome  fool,  and  that  if 
he,  or  any  of  his  native  teachers, 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

*  came  foolin*  around  their  way 
teachin'  natives  that  all  white 
men,  excep'  those  that  come  in 
the  Morning  Star  missionary 
ship,  was  rogues,'  they  (the 
traders)  would  duck  Hosea  in 
the  lagoon." 

"The  brutes,"  said  Kate 
Trenton,  indignantly. 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,  my  dear. 
There  is  a  great  deal  to  be  said 
on  both  sides.  We  missionaries 
are  a  meddlesome  lot,  Kitty, 
and  these  English  and  Ameri- 
can traders  are  men.  Dreadful 
scamps,  no  doubt,  many  of  them, 
but  then  they  came  here  long 
before  we  did,  and  I  don't  think 
it  right  for  us  to  prejudice  the 
natives  against  them." 

"  Helen  !  How  can  you  !  I 
am  afraid  that  this  trader  friend 
72 


Helen  !     How  can  you  !" 


His  Native  Wife  5^ 

of  yours  has  done  you  no 
good." 

Mrs.  Parker  laughed  con- 
temptuously. 

"  He  has  done  me  good,  Kit 
— he  and  the  rougher  men  he 
was  associated  with.  I  went  to 
the  islands  a  religious  pedant,  and 
my  narrow-mindedness  and  silly 
bigotry  received  some  severe 
shocks.  There,  dear,  I  won't 
shock  you  any  more.  Did  you 
hear  what  Captain  Bennett  said 
to  Hosea  last  night  at  supper 
about  baptism  by  total  immer- 
sion ? "  and  her  eyes  sparkled 
mischievously. 

"  No,  Helen,  I  hate  the  man, 
and  always  get  away  from  the 
table  as  quickly  as  possible." 

"  You  shouldn't.  He's  very 
amusing.  Hosea  believes  that 
73 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

total  immersion  is  an  all-impor- 
tant preliminary  to  future  salva- 
tion, and  asked  Mr.  Herrera — 
a  Catholic,  I  suppose — what  his 
opinion  was  ?  " 

"What  did  Mr.  Herrera 
say  ? "  asked  Kate,  showing 
interest  enough  now. 

"  Oh  nothing,  merely  bowed, 
said  he  didn't  know,  and  asked 
Bennett  if  he  intended  bending 
on  a  new  fore-topmast  staysail. 
I  suppose  he  wanted  to  get  on 
deck  after  you." 

"Don't  Helen." 

"Never  mind,  dear.  Well, 
then  Hosea  asked  Mr.  Duggan, 
who  only  shook  his  head  in 
agony  and  nearly  choked  him- 
self with  a  piece  of  meat ;  then 
he  asked  Captain  Bennett. 
*  Waal,  sir,'  said  Bennett,  *  may 
74 


His  Native  Wife  to- 
be  yew  air  right  and  may 
be  yew  air  wrong.  Ez  fur  me, 
I  was  jest  sprinkled  in  the 
or'nary  way  by  old  Parson 
Wicks,  of  Marblehead,  an*  I 
reckon  my  old  mother  thought 
I  had  jest  ez  much  chance  of 
salvation  ez  if  I'd  hev  been 
anchored  by  the  neck  in  the 
Mississippi  fur  a  month.' ' 

The  younger  woman  smiled, 
but  then  looked  at  her  sister  in 
surprise.  She  had  never  heard 
her  talk  like  this  before,  and 
never  knew  that  her  life  had 
not  been  a  happy  one. 

"  Come  on  deck,  Helen,"  she 
said,  presently.  "  I  hear  them 
hauling  the  yards  round  and  can 
feel  the  ship  moving  again.  I 
am  so  glad.  The  language  that 
man  Bennett  uses  to  the  crew 
75 


<•$  His  Native  Wife 

terrifies  me,  and  I  shall  be  glad 
when  the  voyage  is  over." 

They  went  on  deck,  and  as 
the  Kellet  Passmore  heeled 
slightly  to  the  breeze  that  came 
rippling  over  the  water,  the 
mate  came  up  to  them,  and, 
though  he  spoke  to  both,  his 
eyes  were  for  sweet-faced  Kate 
Trenton  alone. 

"  We  have  got  the  breeze  at 
last,  ladies ;  by  to-morrow 
morning  we  shall  be  in  the 
Bay  of  Islands.  Captain  Ben- 
nett and  Mr.  Duggan  have 
quarrelled  again,  and  we  are 
going  in  there  to  try  and  get 
another  officer  in  his  place  and 
some  more  men  as  well." 


76 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    FIRST    AND    SECOND 

MATES. 

HPHREE  months  had  passed, 
"*  and  the  Kellet  Passmore 
had  crawled  lazily  along  from 
the  coast  of  New  Zealand  to 
the  Friendly  Islands,  and  then 
from  the  Friendlies  northwards 
and  westward  towards  the 
Carolines,  till  one  morning 
she  lay  in  sight  of  the  little 
island  group  of  Losap. 

The  wind  was  light,  so  light 
77 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

that  the  old  barque  could  scarce 
feel  her  helm  as  she  rose  and 
fell  to  the  gentle  ocean  swell. 
The  islands  lay  about  three 
miles  to  windward — four  small 
green  spots  of  thickly-cluster- 
ing palms,  encircled  by  a  wide 
sweep  of  reef  some  ten  or  fifteen 
miles  in  circumference.  On  the 
north-east  horn  of  the  reef  was 
the  main  island  of  the  four,  a 
thick  mass  of  cocoanut  trees 
and  pandanus  palms  ;  and  five 
miles  away,  at  the  extreme 
southern  end,  were  the  three 
smaller  islets.  These,  too,  were 
covered  with  vegetation  —  a 
dense  and  tangled  fringe  of 
low,  light-green  scrub,  growing 
down  to  the  beach,  in  the  centre 
a  few  scattered  clumps  of  coco- 
nuts, growing  in  twos  and 
78 


His  Native  Wife  So* 

threes,  lifted  their  stately  plumes 
high  above. 

Presently,  John  Barrington, 
who  knew  the  place  well,  came 
aft,  and  after  a  turn  or  two 
along  the  deck,  stopped  and 
looked  over  toward  the  land. 

"  Lovely  little  spot,  isn't 
it  ?  "  he  said,  turning  to  Mrs. 
Hosea  and  her  sister,  who  were 
sitting  close  together  in  two 
deck-chairs. 

Kate  Trenton  smiled  and 
nodded ;  she  had  grown  to 
like  Barrington  ;  but  her  sister, 
save  for  a  faint  pink  flush  that 
came  and  vanished  quickly,  took 
no  notice  of  his  remark,  and 
bent  her  face  down  over  her 
book. 

Six  weeks  before,  when  she 
had  met  him  first  at  the  cabin 
79 


*£  His  Native  Wife 

table,  her  heart  had  leaped  at  the 
sight  of  him,  only  to  die  away 
within  her  when  she  found  that, 
either  designedly  or  from  utter 
indifference,  he  scarcely  spoke 
to  her  beyond  the  requirements 
of  common  courtesy.  And 
from  that  evening  to  the 
present  time  he  had  seldom 
spoken  to  her  directly.  But 
that  "  the  little  she-missionary,'* 
as  he  used  mentally  to  call  her, 
had  ever — at  any  time — given 
him  a  thought,  John  Barrington 
never  suspected,  and  while  on 
the  island  in  the  olden  days,  he 
had  never  been  nervous  or  em- 
barrassed in  her  presence,  he 
was  so  now,  simply  because  he 
felt  that  both  she  and  her  sister 
were  beings  so  immeasurably 
above  him  in  their  thoughts  and 
80 


His  Native  Wife  §+• 

life,  that  they  could  not  but 
regard  him  with  that  feeling  of 
antagonism  natural  to  educated 
and  refined  women  who  come 
in  contact  with  men  of  loose 
habits  and  South  Sea  morals 
generally,  like  himself.  And 
no  one  knew  better  than  he 
did  his  own  failings.  Had  she 
come  to  him  in  his  island  home 
and  preached  to  him  on  the  evil 
of  his  ways,  he  would  have  given 
her  a  very  sharp  answer ;  but 
here,  on  board  ship,  it  was  a 
very  different  matter,  and  had 
she  reproached  him  now  about 
his  past  existence  when  he  had 
lived  near  her  and  her  husband 
at  the  mission  station,  he  felt 
he  would  be  utterly  incapable 
of  making  any  defence.  Not 
that  Mr.  John  Harrington  was 
81  P 


^  His  Native  Wife 

in  the  slightest  degree  ashamed 
of  his  manner  of  life  as  an 
Island  trader,  and  indeed,  he 
would  express  himself  in  very 
vigorous  terms  to  the  Reverend 
Hosea  when  that  gentleman 
would  make  any  allusion  to  the 
wickedness  of  white  traders  ; 
but  at  the  same  time  he  was 
conscious  that  he  could  not  use 
the  same  arguments  to  a  young 
and  pretty  white  lady  as  he 
could  to  her  husband. 

*'  Are  we  going  to  send  a 
boat  ashore  here,  Mr.  Barring- 
ton  ? "  asked  Kate  Trenton 
presently. 

"  I  think  so,  Miss  Trenton," 
he  replied,  and  then,  as  the  girl 
came  over  near  him  and  placed 
her  hand  on  the  rail  while  she 
looked  at  the  nearing  land,  he 
82 


The  girl  came  over  near  him  and  placed  her  hand 
on  the  rail. 


His  Native  Wife  So- 
added  in  a  lower  voice  and  with 
a  slight  smile — 

"  Mr.  Parker  wants  Captain 
Bennett  to  let  him  go  ashore  and 
ascertain  if  the  native  chief  will 
consent  to  a  teacher  landing 
here  the  next  time  the  Morning 
Star  missionary  brig  calls  here." 

"  Why  do  you  laugh,  Mr. 
Barrington  ?  Is  not  my  brother- 
in-law  doing  his  duty  to  his 
conscience  ?  I  know  you  don't 
like  him  —  neither  does  Mr. 
Herrera  ;  but  I  am  sure  you 
must  feel  he  is  a  good  man." 

Barrington  was  silent.  He 
detested  the  jug-faced  mission- 
ary most  cordially,  but  wasn't 
going  to  say  so  to  the  girl. 

"  I   was  not  laughing  at  his 
desire     to     go     ashore,     Miss 
Trenton  ;      but      because     of 
83 


*S  His  Native  Wife 

Captain  Bennett's  remark  when 
Mr.  Parker  asked  him  to  lower 
a  boat." 

"What  was  it?"  said  the 
girl  with  a  bright  smile,  looking 
up  into  his  face  ;  "  he's  a 
horrible  creature,  but  does  say 
such  amusing  things.  What 
did  he  say  ?  " 

Barrington,  shutting  his  left 
eye  and  scratching  his  cheek, 
imitated  the  captain's  "Down 
East"  drawl  to  perfection. 

'*  *  Want  to  go  ashore,  hey  ? 
Waal,  I  don't  mind,'  then, 
calling  to  the  mate,  *  Mr. 
Herrera,  tell  the  third  mate  to 
get  his  boat  ready.  Mr.  Parker 
wants  to  go  ashore  to  indooce 
the  natives  to  accep'  the  Gaws- 
pil,  and  I  want  to  buy  some 
hogs.'" 

84 


His  Native  Wife  &*• 

Kate  smothered  a  laugh  and 
turned  away,  and  just  then 
Captain  Bennett  slouched  up 
on  deck,  smoking,  or  rather 
chewing,  his  inevitable  cigar. 
"  Howdy,  ladies.  Nice  day, 
aint  it  ?  Mr.  Harrington,  I'm 
sendin'  two  boats  away — the 
first  mate's  and  your's ;  and 
ez  I  believe  that  yew  intend 
to  stay  here,  I'll  feel  obliged  to 
yew  if  yew'll  help  Mr.  Herrera 
tew  buy  some  hogs  for  the 
ship."  ' 

Helen  Parker  raised  her  face, 
and  Kate  saw  that  she  was 
deathly  pale.  Neither  of  them 
knew  that  Barrington  intended 
leaving  the  ship  so  soon. 

"Aye,  aye,  sir.  I  think  I  can 
do  that.  I  know  the  people 
pretty  well.  They  are  a  rough 
85 


*>$  His  Native  Wife 

lot,  but  I  understand  their 
ways." 

"  He,  he,  he,"  sniggered 
Bennett,  who  was  disposed  to 
make  himself  pleasant  to  his 
officer,  who  only  a  week  before 
had  made  fast  to  and  killed  the 
largest  whale  they  had  yet 
taken.  "  He,  he,  he  ;  so  this 
is  the  island  whar  that  nice 
young  wife  of  yours  ez 
livin'." 

A  quick  glance  at  Kate 
Trenton  and  her  sister  showed 
Barrington  that  they  had  heard ; 
they  were  both  looking  straight 
at  him,  wondering  what  his 
answer  would  be. 

The  answer  he  made  Bennett 

was  given  in  such  a  low  tone 

that    neither   of   them    caught 

more  than  the  last  words,  which 

86 


His  Native  Wife  £»• 

were  "  and  you  mind  your  own 
— business." 

Then,  with  a  black  look  on 
his  face,  Harrington  went  on  to 
the  main  deck  to  see  to  his  boat. 

"  Thet's  a  most  ontractable 
young  man,"  said  Bennett  to 
Hosea  Parker,  who  had  now 
come  up  on  deck  in  readiness 
to  go  ashore  ;  "  he's  mighty 
tetchy  about  nothin'  —  why, 
most  everybody  daown  in  these 
parts  marries  native  women. 
He  ain't  got  no  call  to  git  so 
mad- 

"  He  will  be  called  to  account 
for  it  some  day,  my  friend.  It 
is  terrible  to  think  that  men 
like  him,  engaged  in  such  a 
dangerous  avocation,  and  who 
may  be  cut  off  by  the  hand  of 

Provi " 

87 


*$  His  Native  Wife 

"  Land  alive,  parson  ;  yew 
do  skeer  me  !  I  hope  Provi- 
dence ain't  agoin'  to  cut  off 
any  of  my  young  men — an*  me 
with  only  two  hundred  and 
seventeen  barrels  of  ile  in  the 
ship !  Sech  a  possibility  as 
thet  jest  gives  me  a  cold  chill 
daown  the  back,"  and  the 
skipper  of  the  Passmore,  with 
a  grin  on  his  face,  shambled 
away  below  again  to  get  some 
trade  goods  together  with  which 
to  buy  the  hogs  he  wanted. 
Hogs  are  not  a  pleasant  subject ; 
but  hogs  meant  a  great  deal  to 
Captain  Amos  Bennett,  and, 
indeed,  everybody  else  on  board 
the  Kellet  Passmorey  for  she 
was  out  of  provisions. 

The    original   crew   of    the 

barque  who  had  sailed  with  her 
88 


His  Native  Wife  $+• 

from  New  Bedford,  had  deserted 
her  either  one  by  one  or  in 
batches  at  the  various  ports  she 
had  touched  at,  and  when  Ben- 
nett had  put  into  the  Bay  of 
Islands  there  was  scarcely  one 
of  them  remaining  on  board. 
Those  who  had  been  shipped 
in  their  places  were  either 
Chilenos  or  Portuguese — men 
whom  it  would  not  have  been 
safe  for  Bennett  to  have  knocked 
about  as  he  did  those  who  had 
run  away.  The  use  of  foul 
language  and  reflections  upon 
their  parentage  they  accepted 
as  a  matter  of  course  from  the 
captain — especially  if  a  whale 
was  lost  or  a  boat  stove  in — 
but  a  blow  was  quite  another 
matter  ;  and  Bennett  knew 
that  as  well  as  any  one  on 
89 


+$  His  Native  Wife 

board,  and  regulated  his  conduct 
to  them  accordingly.  And 
then,  in  the  first  mate,  Joseph 
Herrera,  many  of  them  had, 
if  not  a  countryman,  one  whom 
they  regarded  as  such ;  and 
Amos  Bennett  knew  too,  that 
under  that  smooth-featured, 
effeminate-looking  face  there 
lurked  the  spirit  of  a  tiger, 
and  that  although  the  mate  was 
quick  to  come  to  his  aid  and 
uphold  his  authority  when  there 
was  any  trouble  with  the  crew, 
he  was  a  dangerous  man  to 
insult  or  cross.  Besides  this, 
he  was  a  good  seaman,  a  splen- 
did officer,  and  an  able  navi- 
gator— which  latter  Bennett  was 
not.  Therefore,  he  valued  him, 
but  at  the  same  time  secretly 
despised  him  as  a  "  Dago,"  and 
90 


His  Native  Wife  §&• 

* 

took  a  malignant  pleasure  in 
always  letting  Hosea  Parker 
know  that  Kate  Trenton  was 
on  deck  "  a-talking  to  that  mate 
of  mine,"  with  the  result  that 
the  pious  Hosea  would  beckon 
her  away  and  reprove  her  for 
wasting  the  officer's  time. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

KATE    TRENTON. 

AND  Herrera,  although  he 
did  his  duty  with  a 
smiling  face,  and  apparently 
took  no  notice  of  the  daily 
mutterings  of  the  crew  about 
the  bad  food  and  the  brutalities 
of  the  captain  and  the  third  and 
fourth  mates,  only  bided  his 
time.  He  had,  from  the  very 
day  that  Kate  Trenton  had 
come  on  board,  fallen  violently 
in  love  with  her  pink  and  white 

beauty,  and  as  the  voyage  wore 
92 


His  Native  Wife  £»• 

on  had  had  plenty  of  opportu- 
nities of  seeing  her  and  talking 
to  her  alone.  Long  before  the 
barque  had  let  go  the  anchor  in 
the  Bay  of  Islands,  Amos  Ben- 
nett noticed  that  a  curious 
change  had  come  over  his  chief 
mate,  who,  always  a  reserved 
man,  now  seemed  quieter  than 
ever,  and  treated  the  pottery- 
faced  Hosea  Parker  with  such 
an  affectation  of  respect  that, 
while  it  did  not  deceive  Ben- 
nett, convinced  the  missionary 
that  Joseph  Herrera,  whom  he 
at  first  considered  a  lost  man 
— being  a  Papist — was  about  to 
be  saved  through  his  (Hosea's) 
instrumentality.  And  it  suited 
the  wily,  handsome  Bonin  Island 
Portuguese  to  let  him  think 
so,  for  it  gave  him  further 
93 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

chances  to  talk  to  the  girl,  and 
deepen  in  her  the  feeling  of  in- 
terest that 'he  had  aroused  by 
his  stories  of  the  wild  scenes 
and  strange  adventures  he  had 
passed  through  in  his  wander- 
ings of  twenty  years  in  South 
Sea  whalers. 

So  it  was  no  wonder  that 
one  evening  as  the  old  barque 
slid  softly  along  under  her 
shortened  canvas,  and  the  watch 
on  deck  lay  about,  looking  up 
at  the  star-spangled  heavens,  and 
the  warm  breath  of  the  trade 
wind  fanned  Kate  Trenton's 
cheek,  that  Herrera's  chance 
came. 

She  was  just  about  to  go 
below,  and  stopping  for  a  mo- 
ment at  the  companion-way, 
held  out  her  hand  to  the  mate. 
94 


His  Native  Wife  &* 

"  Good  night,  Mr.  Herrera. 
I  wish  I  could  stay  on  deck. 
It  is  such  a  lovely  night." 

His  brown,  sinewy,  but 
shapely  hand  closed  over  hers, 
and  his  black  eyes  glowed  and 
shone  with  passionate  ardour. 

"Good  night,"  he  said,  speak- 
ing in  a  voice  scarce  above  a 
whisper,  but  still  holding  the 
girl's  hand,  and  then  he  drew 
her  unresistingly  to  him  and 
kissed  her  on  the  lips. 

In  another  moment  she  had 
fled  below,  and  Jose  Herrera, 
with  flashing  eyes  and  his  white 
teeth  showing  in  a  triumphant 
smile,  paced  the  deck  and  talked 
to  himself. 

"  Holy  Saints  above  !  She 
is  mine  now.  And  to  get  her 
I  am  ready  for  anything — even 
95 


<o?  His  Native  Wife 

to  cutting  the  throat  of  the 
flat-faced  Padre  Parker." 

And  then  as  the  ship  rippled 
along  over  the  star-lit  sea,  he 
made  up  his  plan  of  action. 
She  did  not  intend  to  leave  her 
sister,  at  least  not  for  a  couple 
of  years,  and  in  a  couple  of 
years  a  great  deal  might  hap- 
pen— she  might  meet  another 
man. 

From  that  evening  Jose  Her- 
rera  began  to  ingratiate  himself 
with  some  ot  the  crew.  He 
did  not  mean  to  resort  to  vio- 
lence to  attain  the  object  he 
had  in  view  if  it  could  be  man- 
aged quietly  ;  if  it  could  not — 
well,  so  much  the  worse  for 
those  who  might  oppose  him. 
He  simply  meant  to  run  away 
from  the  ship  in  one  of  her 
96 


His  Native  Wife  So* 

boats,  and  take  Kate  Trenton 
with  him  to  his  native  land,  the 
Bonin  Islands.  But  to  do  this 
he  would  need  the  assistance  of 
some  of  the  crew.  In  a  day  or 
so  more  the  Kellet  Passmore 
would  be  at  an  island  where  he 
hoped  to  put  his  plan  into  exe- 
cution. And  so,  never  doubt- 
ing for  a  moment  his  power 
over  Kate  Trenton,  he  went 
about  his  work  quite  satisfied 
that  the  girl  would  come  away 
with  him  when  the  time  came. 

"We  are  sure  to  call  off 
Truk,"  he  thought,  "and  it 
will  be  easy  enough  to  get  away 
in  my  boat  to  one  of  the  islands 
in  Truk  Lagoon,  and  hide  there 
till  the  ship  goes  off  without  us. 
I  don't  think  Amos  Bennett 
would  care  to  come  and  look 
97  G 


*$  His  Native  Wife 

for  me  and  four  other  armed 
men,  all  of  whom  would  will- 
ingly cut  his  lean  throat  rather 
than  be  taken  back  to  the 
ship." 

•  •  •  •  • 

Just  as  Amos  Bennett  went 
into  his  cabin  to  pick  out  some 
trade  goods  to  send  ashore  in 
the  boats,  Mrs.  Parker  opened 
her  cabin  door  and  came  out, 
followed  by  Kate  Trenton  and 
the  Reverend  Hosea. 

"Captain  Bennett,  my  sister 
and  I  would  like  to  go  ashore 
with  Mr.  Parker." 

"  Waal,  ladies,  ef  I  was  yew 
I  wouldn't,"  said  the  captain, 
who  was  busily  engaged  in 
digging  out  cakes  of  tobacco 
from  a  small  case  with  his 

pocket-knife ;  these  here  Loo- 
98 


His  Native  Wife  &*• 

sap  natives  don't  cotton  much 
to  strangers,  and  ef  anything 
onpleasant  occurred,  why,  I 
should  feel  myself  to  blame  fur 
lettin'  yew  go  in  the  boats. 
Yew  see,  ladies,  these  Loosap 
people  air  a  very  excitable  lot, 
an'  the  least  thing  might  make 
an  onpleasantness  between  them 
and  my  boats'  crews." 

"  Oh,  Hosea,  don't  go,"  said 
Kate  Trenton.  "  Mr.  Barring- 
ton,  too,  was  telling  me  this 
morning  that,  unlike  most  of 
the  Caroline  Islanders,  these 
natives  do  not  care  for  visits 
from  strangers,  and  that  when 
he  lived  here  some  years  ago  the 
whale-ships  that  called  for  fresh 
provisions  had  great  trouble  in 
inducing  the  natives  to  sell  them 
anything." 

99 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

The  Reverend  Hosea,  how- 
ever, was  not  alarmed.  Already 
he  could  see  in  the  Society's 
magazine  an  account  stating 
how  "the  Reverend  Hosea  Par- 
ker, the  earnest  and  intrepid 
missionary,  had  planted  the  Seed 
at  Losap,"  and,  indeed,  the 
honest  man  had  any  amount  of 
a  stupid,  tactless  courage. 

"  It  is  my  duty,  Kate,  and, 
besides  that,  I  have  long  wished 
to  see  these  people  and  give 
them  the  Light.  This  is  the 
island,  too,  that  that  unfortunate 
girl  Nadee  belongs  to ;  perchance 
she  may  be  here  now,  and " 

Mrs.  Parker's  mouth  har- 
dened suddenly  at  the  mention 
of  the  name  of  Harrington's 
native  wife,  and  she  interrupted 
her  husband. 

100 


His  Native  Wife  &o 

*'  I  am  determined  to  go 
ashore.  Both  Kate  and  I 
would  go  mad,  cooped  up  on 
board.  If  it  is  only  to  put  my 
foot  on  the  beach  for  a  moment, 
and  then  be  capsized  in  the  boat 
coming  out,  I  would  go." 

"  Waal,  jest  as  yew  please, 
ladies.  If  Mr.  Parker  is  will- 
in',  I  don't  object.  Oh,  is 
that  you,  Mr.  Barrington  ? 
Here's  the  terbacker  and  other 
things.  These  here  ladies  are 
a  goin'  ashore  with  you  an' 
Parson  Parker." 

Barrington's  face  showed  an- 
noyance. 

"  It  is  a  bad  landing-place, 
Mrs.  Parker,"  he  said.  "  What 
the  devil  did  the  women  want 
to  come  for  ?  "  he  thought. 

"  Is     it  ? "     she     answered, 

101 


+$  His  Native  Wife 

coolly.  "Well,  I'll  take  all 
risks.  You  don't  look  very 
pleased,  Mr.  Harrington,  at 
having  our  company." 

There  was  a  sarcastic  ring  in 
the  laugh  that  ended  her  speech, 
and  Harrington  was  nettled,  and 
showed  it.  He  was  not  pleased 
at  the  prospect,  for  two  reasons ; 
the  first  was  that  the  women 
might  get  drenched  going  over 
the  reef;  the  second  was  that 
he  did  not  want  them  to 
witness  his  meeting  with  his 
wife. 

"Just  as  you  please,  Mrs. 
Parker  ;  but  in  addition  to  the 
chances  of  us  getting  a  wetting 
in  going  ashore  and  in  coming 
out  loaded  up  with  turtle  and 
pigs,  I  don't  think  you  will 
like  the  people  ;  they  are  very 

102 


His  Native  Wife  &o 

reserved  and  suspicious  of 
strangers,  and  the  women 
always  retire  till  they  are 
gone." 

"  Oh,  what  a  shame  ! "  said 
Miss  Trenton,  puckering  up 
her  dark  eyebrows,  "  and  I  so 
wanted  to  see  them  ;  I  am  told 
that  they  are  very  handsome. 
Are  they,  Mr.  Barrington  ?  " 

Harrington  felt  somewhat 
ashamed.  Kate  Trenton's  in- 
nocent eyes,  the  reflex  of  her 
pure  and  innocent  mind,  always 
did  make  him  feel  ashamed 
when  by  any  chance  the  talk 
turned  upon  native  women. 
He  thought  that  her  sister  dis- 
liked him  strongly,  and  had 
given  her  a  pretty  bad  account 
of  him  ;  else  why  did  Mrs. 
Parker  so  pointedly  avoid 
103 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

speaking  to  him  when  they 
met  on  deck.  So,  with  some- 
thing like  a  woman's  blush,  he 
answered — 

"Some  of  them  are  very 
handsome,  Miss  Trenton." 

"  But  few  so  handsome  as 
Nadee?" 

The  second  mate  turned 
sharply  and  looked  at  the  mis- 
sionary's wife.  She  was  sitting 
in  the  captain's  chair,  leaning 
her  cheek  upon  one  hand. 
There  was  a  curious,  defiant 
glitter  in  her  eyes  as  she  met 
his  glance. 

"  D n  her !  "  he  said, 

under  his  breath.  "  She  wants 
to  show  me  up  again  before  her 

sister.  Why  the can't  she 

leave  me  alone."     Then  a  quick 

feeling  of  anger  came  over  him. 

104 


His  Native  Wife  So» 

"  As  you  say,  Mrs.  Parker, 
few  are  so  handsome  as  Nadee ; 
and  few  or  none  are  as  good." 

The  colour  died  away  on 
Mrs.  Parker's  face,  and  then, 
with  a  little  sneering  laugh,  she 
rose  and  went  into  her  cabin. 

Something  made  Kate  Tren- 
ton lift  her  honest  brown  eyes 
to  Barrington's,  and  then  she 
impulsively  held  out  her  hand 
to  him.  He  took  it  quickly, 
pressed  it,  and  then  raising  his 
hat  to  her,  went  up  on  deck. 

"  Dear  little  woman,"  he  said 
to  himself.  "  I  do  believe  she'd 
meet  Nadee  and  not  think  she 
was  such  a  terribly  bad  lot  after 
all.  By  God,  if  I  thought  Her- 
rera  meant  to  harm  Kate  Tren- 
ton, I'd  spoil  his  beauty." 

•         •         •         • 

105 


-°S  His  Native  Wife 

In  the  Reverend  Hosea's 
cabin  his  wife  was  savagely 
drying  her  eyes  with  her  hand- 
kerchief when  Kate  entered. 

"  Are  you  ready,  Helen  ? " 
she  began  ;  and  then  she 
stopped,  and  tears  of  sympathy 
filled  her  eyes. 

"  Helen,  dear.  We  will  not 
go.  You  look  quite  ill.  What 
is  the  matter  ?  " 

"  Nothing,"  she  answered, 
brusquely ;  "  only  that  I'm 
a  fool  and  only  knew  it 
thoroughly  just  now.  Let  us 
go  by  all  means.  I  don't  care 
a  fig  about  the  heathen,  but 
I  do  want  to  go  ashore, 
out  of  this  miserable,  stuffy 
cabin,  and  get  a  walk  on  the 
beach." 

The  black  beard  and  dark, 
106 


His  Native  Wife  5o» 

handsome  face  of  the  mate  ap- 
peared over  the  skylight. 

"  The  boats  are  ready,  ladies; 
Mr.  Parker  is  getting  quite  im- 
patient." 

"  Come,  Helen,"  her  sister 
said,  in  a  whisper  ;  «« you  will 
feel  better  soon." 


107 


CHAPTER  VII. 

NADEE. 

">r"T'IS  a  whale-ship,  my 
•*•  mother,  for  when  she 
lifts  to  the  swell  of  the  ocean 
I  can  see  her  many  boats 
hoisted  high  up  over  the 
side." 

Nadee,  standing  out  in  front 
of  the  russet  -  thatched  high- 
peaked  house  in  the  native 
village,  leans  her  lithe  young 
figure  against  the  bole  of  a 
cocoanut  tree,  and  shading  her 
eyes  against  the  glare  of  the 
108 


His  Native  Wife  So- 

morning  sun  with  her  little 
brown  hands,  looks  steadily 
once  more  out  eastward  over 
the  sea  towards  the  ship. 

"  Come  thou  inside,  child," 
answered  a  voice  tremulous 
with  age,  "who  but  thee,  O 
one  with  little  thought,  would 
stand  out  there  in  the  blazing 
sun  to  look  at  a  ship.  What 
hath  the  ship  to  do  with 
thee  ?  " 

'Hie  girl  laughed  joyously 
at  the  question  of  old  Tariva, 
whom  she  called  mother,  but 
who  was  really  her  grandmother 
and  the  only  one  of  her  blood 
alive  ;  then  she  answered,  still 
shading  her  eyes  as  she  watched 
the  ship. 

"It  may  be  mother,  that 
my  husband  cometh.  Who 
109 


*>§  His  Native  Wife 

can  tell  ?  And  twenty  and 
five  mahins *  have  come  and 
gone  since  he  left  us,  and  he 
said  that  he  would  come  again 
in  twenty." 

"  Foolish  child  !  And  does  it 
take  thee  five  moons  to  learn  that 
he  is  a  liar  and  thou  a  fool  ?  " 

The  girl's  head  drooped, 
her  cloud  of  wavy  hair  fell 
around  her  face,  and  she 
worked  one  of  her  bared  feet 
slowly  to  and  fro  in  the  heated 
sand  and  broken  coral  pebble 
on  which  she  stood.  For  a 
minute  or  so  she  made  no 
answer,  and  then  slowly  walked 
towards  the  house,  passed  the 
opened  door  of  thatch,  and 
disappeared. 

•          •          •          •          • 

1  Months, 
no 


His  Native  Wife  §&• 

Within,  an  old  woman  with 
wrinkled  face  and  snow-white 
hair  falling  in  ragged  tails 
down  her  brown  and  naked 
back,  was  seated  cross  -  legged 
before  a  tiny  fire  of  charcoal. 
With  one  hand  she  fanned  the 
coals,  and  with  the  other 
stirred  some  liquid  that  bubbled 
and  frothed  in  a  halved  cocoa- 
nut  shell  set  in  among  the 
embers. 

Softly  but  steadily  the  old 
grandam  flapped  the  broad  fan 
she  held  in  her  hand,  and 
peered  anxiously  into  the  shell, 
and  as  she  fanned  she  muttered 
and  crooned  to  herself. 

"  Did  I  not  tell  her  so  ... 
Jaki J  is  but  as  other  white 
men.  And  the  twenty  mahin 

*  Jack. 
in 


*>§  His  Native  Wife 

have  passed  and  gone,  and  five 
more  .  .  .  Guk  !  the  girl  is  a 
fool.  He  hath  wearied  of  her 
and  will  return  not." 

She  lifted  out  the  shell  and 
set  it  beside  her,  for  the  heat 
had  now  began  to  crack  and 
warp  it ;  then  taking  up  another 
one  from  a  number  that  lay 
beside  her,  she  set  it  among 
the  coals  and  poured  back  into 
it  the  liquid  from  the  charred 
shell. 

"Aye,  they  be  all  alike 
those  white  men  ...  ah,  it 
boileth  again  .  .  .  Nadee,  come 
thou  and  see  to  it.  Thy  eyes 
are  better  than  mine." 

No  answer  came  from  the 
girl,  who,  though  the  old  dame 
knew  it  not,  was  seated  with 
her  back  to  the  cane  latticed 

112 


His  Native  Wife  So* 

side  of  the  house,  not  ten  feet 
away,  crying  softly  to  herself. 

"Nadee,"  again  called  old 
Tariva  querulously,  "  hast  not 
yet  tired  of  baking  thyself  in 
the  fierce  sun,  looking  at  the 
ship.  Come,  child,  and  see  the 
oil  I  have  made  scented  with 
nudu  flowers  and  sandalwood. 
Dost  think  'tis  for  my  old 
white  locks  I  make  it,  thou 
lazy  Nadee?" 

A  sob  answered  her,  "Nay, 
mother.  But  set  it  aside  for 
a  little  time  ;  for  my  eyes  are 
dimmed  with  the  glare  of  the 
sun,  and  I  fear  the  smoke 
of  thy  fire.  And  here,  in  the 
shade,  it  is  cool  for  me  to  sit 
awhile." 

The  old  woman's  lined  and 
wrinkled  face  softened,  and  she 
113  H 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

glanced  towards  the  side  of  the 
house  from  whence  Nadee 
spoke. 

"Thou  liest,  child.  'Tis 
not  the  sun  that  hath  hurt  thy 
eyes ;  'tis  the  foolish  tears  for 
the  man  who  hath  cast  thee 
off." 

"Say  not  that,  my  mother," 
and  the  girl's  voice,  soft  and 
low  as  it  sounded,  trembled  as 
she  caught  her  breath,  "for 
though  'tis  so  long  since,  not 
one  ship  have  we  seen  at  Losap 
since  he  sailed.  And  it  may  be 
this  one  .  .  .  for  why  should  he 
cast  me  off,  as  thou  sayest  ?  " 

"  Why  ?  "  The  old  woman 
laughed  scornfully.  "  Because 
of  the  wife  of  the  Christ-man 
at  Ponape ;  the  woman  with 
the  hair  like  the  yellow  of  the 
114 


His  Native  Wife  $&• 

setting  sun ;  dost  think  thy 
beauty  can  compare  with  that 
of  the  Christ-woman  ?  " 

The  girl  sprang  to  her  feet, 
and  in  another  moment  she 
stood  in  the  open  doorway, 
with  her  hands  clenched. 

"  'Tis  a  lie,  old  Tariva ! 
Thou  art  old  and  foolish. 
The  wife  of  the  Christ-man 
was  nought  to  my  white  man." 

The  old  woman's  thin  lips 
parted  in  a  contemptuous  smile, 
and  her  white  teeth  showed. 
Still  fanning  the  embers  with 
one  hand  she  looked  keenly  at 
Nadee's  working  face. 

"Why  was  it,  then,  that 
after  the  Christ-man  and  his 
wife  came  to  Ponape,  that  he 
went  away  from  thee  ?  " 

The  girl's  hands  unclenched, 
"5 


+$  His  Native  Wife 

and  a  troubled  look  came  into 
her  face. 

"  He  was  wearied,  he  said,  of 
the  dull  days,  and  longed  to  go 
out  upon  the  ocean  again  in  one 
of  the  ships  that  seek  for  whales. 
For  that  is  the  work  that  he 
hath  done  from  his  boyhood. 
And  how  could  he  take  me  with 
him?" 

*'  Tab !  lies,  lies,  all  lies. 
Are  there  not  many  white  men 
in  these  islands  whose  wives 
voyage  to  and  fro  with  them 
in  ships?  Did  not  Siria,  the 
daughter  of  Larik,  and  Nili, 
mine  own  sister's  child — she 
who  is  now  dead — sail  with 
their  white  husbands  to  the  far 
off  islands  of  the  south  ?  " 

"  True,  mother,"  said  Nadee 
steadfastly,  "  but,  see,  those 
116 


His  Native  Wife  So- 

were  trading  ships.  But  never 
a  woman  goeth  away  beyond 
the  sea-rim  in  a  whale-ship. 
And  did  my  husband  ever  tell 
thee  lies  ?  * 

"O  foolish  child,  to  so 
believe  in  one  of  strange 
blood.  If  he  so  cared  for 
thee,  why  did  he  weary  of 
thee  so  soon?  I  tell  thee  it 
was  because  of  the  Christ- 
woman." 

"Not  so.  It  was  because 
that  he  was  poor  and  had  but 
little  goods  wherewith  to  buy 
oil  and  pearl  shell  and  tortoise 
shell,  as  did  the  other  white 
men  on  Ponape.  And  so, 
because  that  the  days  were 
dull  to  him  he  told  me  he 
desired  to  sail  for  two  years  in 
a  whale-ship,  so  that  he  would 
117 


«•£  His  Native  Wife 

get  money  in  plenty  ;  and  then 
would  he  return  with  all  the 
things  he  desired  and  live  with 
me  always.  But  the  beautiful 
Christ-woman  had  naught  to 
do  with  his  going." 

The  old  woman  lifted  the 
shell  she  was  tending  from  off 
the  fire,  and  brushing  off  the 
dust  from  the  mat  on  which 
she  sat,  motioned  to  the  girl  to 
sit  beside  her. 

"  Come  hither,  little  one  and 
sit  by  old  Tariva — thy  mother's 
mother,  the  only  one  that  is  left 
to  thee  of  all  thy  people." 

Still  with  the  troubled  look 
in  her  lustrous  eyes,  Nadee, 
with  another  glance  seaward  at 
the  white  sails  of  the  ship, 
stepped  inside,  and  sat  down 
beside  the  old  woman,  who, 
118 


His  Native  Wife  5^ 

drawing  the  girlish  figure  to 
her  wrinkled  old  bosom,  pressed 
her  lips  to  her's  in  a  silent, 
loving  embrace. 

"  Only  thou  art  left  to  me, 
little  one ;  thou  of  all  that 
were  once  so  many ;  and 
because  that  I  am  so  old,  and 
will  soon  be  with  the  silent 
ones,1  and  thou  wilt  be  alone, 
do  I  wish  to  tell  thee  of  some 
things." 

The  girl's  rounded  arm  en- 
circled the  old  dame's  skinny 
neck,  and  her  little  hand 
stroked  her  white  locks,  the 
while  she  laid  her  cheek,  so 
young  and  full  and  tender, 
against  her  grandam's  lined  and 
furrowed  brow. 

«  The  dead. 

119 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

ONE    OF    THE    OLD    BOTTLES. 

T^HERE  was  none  to  hear 
-••  them  talk.  Save  the  old 
woman  and  the  girl,  the  rest 
of  the  few  people  in  the  little 
village  were  away  at  work  in 
their  plantations  or  out  fishing 
in  the  lagoon.  Outside,  the 
quiet  of  the  palm  grove  was 
scarce  broken  even  by  the 
rustling  of  the  breeze  that 
swayed  their  branches  to  and 
fro.  Sometimes,  on  the  white 
blaze  of  shimmering  beach  that 

120 


His  Native  Wife  5o» 

came  to  within  a  few  fathoms 
of  the  open  door  of  old  Tari- 
va's  house,  a  swift  black  shadow 
would  sweep  by  as  some  frigate 
bird  skimmed  past,  flying  down 
over  the  beach  ere  he  took  his 
mounting  flight  seaward  to 
plunge  with  deadly  aim  and 
cruel  beak  into  the  blue  depths 
of  ocean  beyond  the  barrier 
reef. 

So,  in  silence,  and  still 
caressing  the  aged  face,  Nadee 
waited  till  the  time-worn  old 
Tariva  chose  to  speak ;  but, 
even  as  she  waited  her  eyes 
wandered  out  seawards  again 
and  again. 

•          •'••• 
"Turn  thy  back  to  the  sea, 
little   one.      Let  not  the   ship 
trouble   thy   mind  yet  awhile. 

121 


^  His  Native  Wife 

When  I  have  said  all  that 
which  is  within  me,  then,  if 
thou  carest  to  still  look  across 
the  sea-rim  for  him  who  will 
never  come,  so  be  it,  and  I  will 
have  nought  more  to  say." 

The  girl  faced  round  with 
a  strange,  wondering  look  in 
the  depths  of  her  great  soft 
eyes.  What  was  it  old  Tariva 
had  to  say  ?  Thrice  since  the 
day  that  they  had  returned  to 
Losap  to  await  the  coming 
back  of  her  white  husband, 
had  her  grandam  spoken  to  her 
of  Railik,  the  son  of  the  chief 
of  Losap,  who  desired  her  for 
his  wife,  and  each  time  had 
Nadee,  covering  her  face  with 
her  hands,  shaken  her  head 
and  said,  "  I  will  wait.  The 
twenty  months  must  first  be 

122 


His  Native  Wife  &*• 

passed  and  gone  ere  I  will  talk 
of  such  things." 

And  although  old  Tariva 
had  given  her  some  bitter 
words  for  her  folly,  yet  she 
had  not  sought  to  force  the 
girl's  choice.  Railik,  fierce 
and  turbulent  as  he  was,  dared 
not  seize  her  and  carry  her  off ; 
for  old  Tariva  was  ejon,  a  strong 
witch,  and  had  power  to  cause 
his  limbs  to  wither  and  perish 
so  that  the  skin  would  cleave 
to  the  bone  and  make  him  ugly 
to  look  upon  in  the  eyes  of  all 
men  if  he  tried  to  win  the  girl 
by  force  against  her  grandam's 
wish. 

But   yet  —  and    Nadee,   the 

white  man's  wife,  knew  it  well 

— old  Tariva  favoured  his  suit, 

and    though    since   that  third 

123 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

time  she  spoke  not  again  of  the 
lying,  faithless  white  men  to 
her,  she  was  for  ever  talking 
of  the  skill  and  cleverness  in 
all  things  of  Railik,  he  whom, 
of  all  the  young  men  on  Losap 
was  worthy  by  his  father's  name 
to  have  a  wife  in  whose  veins 
ran  blood  as  good  as  his  own. 
•  •  •  •  • 

A  minute  had  passed  and  yet 
the  old  woman  had  not  spoken. 
She  had  placed  her  bony,  claw- 
like  hands  upon  the  girl's 
smooth  and  rounded  shoulders 
and  her  keen  old  eyes  were 
bent  upon  Nadee's  in  a  strange, 
wild  look  that  filled  her  young 
heart  with  fear. 

Presently  there  came  to  them 
a  sound,  as  of  the  strong  voices 

of  men,  made  faint  by  distance. 
124 


His  Native  Wife  &*> 

"  Heed  it  not,  my  Nadee," 
said  old  Tariva  in  a  low, 
mechanical  voice,  her  eyes  still 
fixed  upon  the  girl's  face,  "  'tis 
but  the  men  of  Losap  who  only 
now  see  the  sails  of  the  ship." 

Breathing  so  that  her  bared 
bosom  rose  and  fell  in  quick, 
panting  strokes,  and  with  eyes 
filled  with  terror,  Nadee  spoke 
in  a  voice  like  a  whisper. 

"  What  is  it,  O  my  mother, 
that  maketh  thee  look  so 
strangely  upon  me  ;  thy  eyes 
are  as  two  moons  shining 
through  the  blackness  of  the 
darkest  night,  and  fill  me  with 
fear.  Have  I  done  aught 
wrong,  and  art  thou  about  to 
cast  ejon  l  over  me  ?  " 

1  Witchcraft,  wizardry,  religious 
belief. 

125 


+$  His  Native  Wife 

As  she  faintly  whispered  the 
last  words  her  eyes  grew  dim, 
misty,  and  slumberous. 

"  Nadee  !  "  and  the  quaver- 
ing tones  of  Tariva's  voice 
became  strong  and  harsh  as  the 
call  of  the  frigate-bird,  "  wake, 
child !  There,  see,  my  be- 
loved ;  look  now  into  old 
Tariva's  eyes ;  only  do  I  cast 
ejon  on  those  whom  I  hate,'* 
and  she  took  her  hands  from 
Nadee's  trembling  shoulders ; 
"but  listen  well  to  me." 

"  Aye,  my  mother ;  but  look 
not  again  with  thy  eyes  into 
mine,  for  then  my  soul  goeth 
out  into  darkness,  and  though 
I  hear  thy  voice  my  heart  and 
tongue  sleep." 

A  faint  smile  crossed  the 
thin,  old  lips,  and  patting  the 
126 


His  Native  Wife  So* 

girl's  knee,  she  said  in  soft, 
purring  tones — 

"  Fear  not,  my  little  bird. 
Strong  am  I  to  cast  spells  for 
good  and  evil  over  men  and 
women  ;  only  against  the 
rebelli  (white  people)  am  I 
powerless.  And  it  is  because 
that  my  ejon  is  of  no  avail 
against  the  white  man  that  I 
now  sit  here  and  plead  for  thee 
to  lay  well  to  thy  mind  that 
which  thou  must  know." 

"  Mother,"  and  Nadee  bent 
her  head  low  down  upon  the 
old  dame's  lap,  "would'st  use 
ejon  to  harm  my  white  hus- 
band ?  " 

"  Nay,  child.     For  though  I 

hate  the   rebelli,  whether  they 

be  ship-men  or  Christ-men,  yet 

would    I    bring    thy    husband 

127 


^  His  Native  Wife 

back  to  thee,  child  of  my  child, 
and  last  of  my  race,  ere  I  go 
out  to  the  spirit  land." 

"Why  hate  ye  the  white 
men,  mother  ?  " 

A  savage  light  leapt  into  the 
old  woman's  eyes  and  her 
white,  even  teeth  snapped  to- 
gether like  the  jaws  of  a 
shark. 

"  Hate  them  !  Aye,  that  do 
I.  Would  that  I  could  live  to 
see  them  wither  and  perish  and 
be  swept  away  as  we  of  the  sea- 
girt lands  have  withered  and 
perished  before  them.  Long, 
long  ago,  when  my  hair  was 
as  black,  and  my  bosom  as  full 
and  round  as  thine,  my  people 
were  a  great  people,  for,  as 
thou  knowest,  my  father  was  a 
great  man  on  Ponape,  and  the 
128 


His  Native  Wife  So* 

land  he  ruled  stretched  from 
Jakoits  on  the  north  to  Meta- 
lanien,  near  unto  the  strange 
stone  houses  that  were  built  by 
the  Unknown  Men.1  He  it 
was  who  sailed  in  two  great 
canoes  to  this  little  island  of 
Losap,  a  twenty  days'  journey, 
and  slew  half  the  men  and 
would  have  slain  all  but  that 
his  eyes  were  taken  with  the 
beauty  of  my  mother,  who,  as 
she  fled  along  this  beach  now 
before  us,  fell,  and  would  have 
been  thrust  through,  only  that 
my  father  beat  back  the  bloodied 
hands  of  those  who  pursued 
her.  And  so,  because  she 
pleased  him,  he  spared  the  lives 
of  all  those  men  of  Losap  who 

1  The  mysterious  and  ancient  ruins 
on  Ponapd,  in  the  Caroline  Islands. 
129 


^  His  Native  Wife 

still  lived,  and  took  her  to  wife. 
Ah  !  those  were  the  days  when 
we  were  strong." 

u  Tell  me  more,  my  mother." 
"  Aye,  child,"  answered  Ta- 
riva,  who  was  speaking  of  those 
olden  days  with  a  set  purpose, 
and  noting  how  eagerly  Nadee 
listened  ;  "  those  were  days 
when  the  quick,  hot  blood  of 
youth  ran  lusty  and  strong  in 
my  father's  veins,  and  save  for 
the  two  or  three  white  sailors 
who  dwelt  under  the  protection 
of  T'Nanakin,  the  king  of 
Jakoits,  we  of  Ponape  knew 
naught  of  the  rebelli.  Brave 
men,  though,  were  those  white 
men,  for  sometimes  when  a 
ship  lay  becalmed,  they  led 
our  people  out  in  the  dead  of 
night  and  slew  all  on  board, 
130 


His  Native  Wife  §o 

and  returned  to  the  shore  laden 
with  riches." 

The  girl  shuddered  as  she 
caught  the  fiery  gleam  and 
sparkle  in  old  Tariva's  sunken 
eyes,  but  yet  listened  intently, 
leaning  her  chin  upon  the  palm 
of  one  hand. 

•  •  •  •  • 

"And  then  the  days  and 
months  and  years  went  by,  till 
there  came  to  Metalanien  the 
first  of  the  Christ-men,  in  a 
white  -  painted  ship.  Well 
would  it  have  been  had  my 
father  and  T'Nanakin,  the  king 
of  Jakoits,  done  unto  this  ship 
as  they  had  done  unto  others, 
but  the  ejon  of  the  Christ-man 
was  too  strong,  and  he  fooled 
my  father  and  T'Nanakin  both 
with  his  cunning  words." 
131 


«><?  His  Native  Wife 

"  How  so,  my  mother  ?  " 
"In  this  way,  child.  All 
men  love  to  hear  of  that  which 
is  strange  and  new  ;  and  this 
Christ  -  man  told  my  father 
cunning  lies  of  a  man-god  who 
was  greater  than  all  the  gods 
of  Ponape,  and  who  had  sent 
him — the  cunning  Christ-man 
— to  Ponape  to  tell  my  father 
to  forswear  the  old  gods  and 
follow  the  god  of  the  Christ- 
man." 

"Aye,  mother,  my  husband 
hath  spoken  to  me  of  this 
Christ-God." 

"  What  said  he,  Nadee  ?  " 

«*  But  little,  mother.     'Twas 

long   ago,   when   the   beautiful 

Christ-woman — the  wife  of  the 

Christ-man,  whom  my  husband 

called  a   meddling  fool — came 

132 


His  Native  Wife  &*• 

to  our  house  with  her  husband 
and  talked  with  mine.  Some- 
thing they  said  to  him  of  myself 
and  the  wrath  of  the  Christ- 
God  it  was  that  angered  him, 
and  though  he  spoke  softly 
because  of  the  yellow-haired 
woman,  who  sat  by  me  with 
her  hand  clasped  around  mine, 
yet  he  was  hot  with  anger 
against  the  mean-looking  man 
who  said  the  Christ  had  sent 
him  to  save  me  from  perishing. 
**  *  Go,'  he  said,  speaking  in 
the  tongue  of  the  white  man, 
'thou  to  thy  trade,  and  leave 
me  to  mine.  Come  not  here 
to  me  in  mine  own  house  and 
seek  to  poison  the  heart  of  my 
wife  against  me.  She  is  to  me 
my  wife  by  the  custom  of  the 
land,  and  I  want  no  man  such 
133 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

as  thee  to  come  between  us.' 
And  then  the  woman  rose  and 
bade  me  farewell  and  said  to 
the  Christ-man,  her  husband, 
*  Leave  them.  Why  should 
we  seek  to  make  trouble  be- 
tween them  ? '  So,  though 
they  came  again  to  my  hus- 
band's house,  the  woman's 
husband  spoke  no  more  to 
mine  of  the  Christ-God  and 
the  lake  of  fire  into  which  He 
casts  his  enemies." 

"Ahe!"  resumed  the  old 
woman,  "  'Twas  that,  the  great 
sea  of  fire  which  is  in  the  bowels 
of  the  earth,  that  made  the  heart 
of  T'Nanakin  turn  white,  and 
he  became  eaten  up  with  the 
ejon  of  the  Christ-God.  And 
day  by  day  the  power  of  the 
head  Christ-man  on  the  Christ- 


His  Native  Wife  &* 

ship  grew  stronger  and  stronger. 
One  day  it  came  about  that 
T'Nanakin  and  my  father  and 
other  chiefs  went  to  visit  the 
ship,  and  the  next  day  two  of 
them  were  seized  with  an  illness 
from  which  many  of  the  ship- 
men  had  died.  T'Nanakin, 
who  loved  these  men,  went  to 
the  Christ-wizard  and  besought 
him  to  save  his  men.  And  see, 
my  child,  how  silly  are  some 
men  and  how  clever  others  : 
for  this  wizard  soon  put  terror 
in  the  heart  of  T'Nanakin,  and 
said — 

"  'If  these  men  die  it  is  the 
will  of  the  Great  Christ-God, 
who  hath  sent  me  to  tell  thee 
to  cast  away  thy  gods  of  wood 
and  worship  Him.  Beware,  O 
chief,  and  delay  not,  lest  some- 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

thing  terrible  befall  thee,  and 
the  lake  of  fire  swallow  up 
thee  and  thy  people.' 

"The  two  men  died,  and 
then  in  every  house  in  every 
village  some  one  was  seized  by 
the  strange  illness  from  the 
Christ-ship,  and  many  hundreds 
died.  And  then  T'Nanakin 
with  his  chiefs  humbled  himself 
to  the  Christ-wizard,  and  said, 
'Thy  gods  are  greater  than 
mine.  Let  this  sickness  go 
away  from  my  people  and  I 
will  do  as  thou  wishest — I  will 
be  a  Christ-man.'  Then  the 
white  wizard  and  three  other 
wizards  who  were  with  him 
rejoiced  greatly  and  made  much 
of  T'Nanakin,  and  gave  him 
many  presents  and  clothed  him 
with  new  black  garments,  and 
136 


His  Native  Wife  §& 

a  high  black  covering  for  his 
head,  such  as  is  worn  by  these 
Christ-men  in  their  own  coun- 
try. In  two  days  all  of  his 
people  swore  faith  to  the  Christ- 
God  ;  but  my  father  and  his 
people  did  not,  for  they  had 
heard  of  the  sickness  and  no 
one  of  them  would  go  near  the 
white  men.  Then  T'Nanakin, 
who  had  cast  away  his  father's 
gods  for  the  new  ejon,  sent 
word  down  saying,  *  Come  up 
and  be  a  Christ-man,  or  thou 
and  thy  people  will  be  seized 
with  a  deadly  illness  and  die, 
and  be  cast  into  a  lake  of  red 
fire,  where  they  shall  yet  live 
again  for  ever.'  But  my  father 
would  not  go. 

"So     T'Nanakin     and     my 
father  quarrelled,  and  one  night, 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

when  all  in  our  village  lay 
asleep,  the  canoes  of  T'Nanakin 
crept  down  and  killed  all  that 
would  not  be  slaves  to  him  and 
the  white  wizard,  and  then,  we 
who  were  conquered  knew  that 
the  ejon  of  the  white  man's  God 
was  greater  than  that  of  ours. 

"  For  two  moons  T'Nanakin's 
men  sought  out  and  slew  all 
those  opposed  to  the  new 
faith,  and  no  smoke  arose  in 
our  country  save  that  which 
came  from  the  burning  houses 
of  my  father's  people  ;  for  we 
fled  to  the  woods — all  that  were 
left  of  us — and  lived  in  hiding. 
Then  came  the  time  when  many 
died  of  hunger,  and  Kanka,  my 
father,  and  all  the  men  who 
were  with  him  died  under  the 
knives  of  T'Nanakin's  men,  who 
138 


His  Native  Wife  5o» 

had  found  out  our  refuge.  And 
then  my  mother,  taking  me  with 
her,  fled  with  some  few  other 
women  and  children,  of  whom 
I  was  one,  to  the  island  called 
Pakin,  close  to  the  mainland  ; 
and  there  we  lived  till  I  was 
taken  to  wife  by  a  man  of 
Pakin,  and  there  thy  mother 
was  born  to  me.  She,  too,  like 
myself,  was  taken  to  wife  by  a 
man  of  Pakin.  At  thy  birth 
she  died,  and  with  her  last 
words  besought  me  to  take  thee 
to  this  land  of  Losap,  where 
we  would  be  well  cared  for  by 
those  of  our  blood.  But  I 
lived  on  at  Pakin,  till  both  my 
husband  and  thy  father  were 
dead,  and  thou  wert  a  grown 
girl.  Then  came  this  Jaki  of 
thine,  who  took  us  to  live  with 
139 


«*£  His  Native  Wife 

him  at  Ponape.  And  I  know 
he  will  never  come  back  to 
thee  ;  so  wait  no  longer,  my 
child,  but  take  Railik  for  thy 
husband.  He  is  a  clever  man 
and  hates  the  white  men  as 
much  as  I  hate  them." 

The  girl  covered  her  eyes  with 
her  hands  but  said  not  a  word. 

"  See,  child,  there  is  yet 
another  thing.  Thou  sayest 
that  the  fair-faced  white  woman 
the  wife  of  the  hog-faced  Christ- 
man,  is  nought  to  thy  husband. 
Now  I,  that  am  very  old,  know 
many  things,  because  of  the  ejon 
I  have  learnt ;  and  I  tell  thee, 
foolish  one,  that  if  she  be  nought 
to  him,  he  was  much  to  her. 
And  it  was  because  she  looked 
at  him  with  her  eyes  like  the 
blue  sea,  and  made  him  ashamed 
140 


His  Native  Wife  £»• 

of  thee,  that  he  wearied  of  thee 
and  went  away." 

Nadee  bent  her  head  still 
lower  and  then  wept  silently. 

"  Nay,  weep  not,  little  one," 
went  on  old  Tariva  mercilessly, 
"what  does  it  matter?  Thou 
hast  no  child  for  men  to  point 
at  and  jeer  and  say,  '  see  the 
child  of  the  man  who  fooled  its 
mother.'  And  yet  it  is  hard 
for  one  so  young  and  handsome 
as  thee  to  be  cast  aside  for 
another." 

"  Nay,  mother.  He  may  not 
come  back  to  me  ;  but  not  be- 
cause of  another  woman." 

"  Thou  fool.  Didst  thou  not 
see  that  in  less  than  a  year  after 
he  had  gone  that  the  white 
wizard  woman  sickened  and 
pined  for  him,  and  then  fol- 
141 


*>§  His  Native  Wife 

lowed  him  to  his  own  country 
in  the  white-painted  wizard 
ship.  Is  it  not  true  ?  " 

"  Mother,"  said  Nadee,  in  a 
whisper,  "she  took  her  husband 
with  her." 

Old  Tariva  laughed  contemp- 
tuously :  "  Twas  but  a  trick. 
She  cares  not  for  her  husband, 
and  I  have  seen  her  turn  her 
face  from  him  when  he  spoke 
to  her.  'Tis  thy  white  man 
she  loves.  Now  listen,  child,  to 
me.  I  tell  thee  that  by  this  time 
she  hath  killed  the  dull-faced 
Christ-wizard  and  is  wife  to  thy 
white  man  in  her  own  land.  He 
did  but  fool  thee  when  he  spoke 
of  coming  back." 

She  ceased  and  looked  at  the 
bowed  figure  of  Nadee,  who  had 

buried  her  face  in  the  old  dame's 
142 


His  Native  Wife  &*• 

lap  and  was  sobbing  convul- 
sively. 

Tariva,  muttering  to  herself, 
stroked  the  black  waves  of  hair 
tenderly,  and  waited.  She  had 
won,  and  Nadee,  the  child  of 
her  heart,  would  forget  this 
false  white  man  and  marry 
Railik,  and  then  she,  old 
Tariva,  would  have  given  to 
her  all  that  land  on  Losap 
which  was  hers  of  right,  for  had 
it  not  belonged  to  her  mother 
in  the  olden  days  ? 

Suddenly  the  sobs  ceased  and 
Nadee  rose  to  her  feet  and  went 
to  the  door.  For  a  moment  or 
two  she  looked  out  over  the 
blue  expanse  of  ocean  that  lay 
before  her  tear-dimmed  eyes ; 
but  the  ship  had  gone,  she  had 
passed  round  the  south  horn  of 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

the  reef  and  was  hidden  from 
view  for  the  time. 

Then,  with  a  smile  struggling 
through  her  tears,  Nadee  turned 
and  spoke. 

"  It  shall  be  as  thou  wishest, 
my  mother.  I  am  indeed  a  fool. 
When  it  pleases  thee,  take  me 
to  Railik's  house." 

Then  she  stepped  out,  and 
with  a  choking  sob  threw  her- 
self down  on  the  grassy  plot  at 
the  back  of  old  Tariva's  house, 
and  lay  there  silent  with  her 
face  in  her  hands. 


144 


CHAPTER  IX. 

IN    THE    BOIL    OF    THE    SURF. 

WHEN  within  a  mile  or  so 
of  the  principal  village 
of  the  main  island,  the  Kellet 
Passmore  backed  her  main-yard, 
and  the  two  boats  pushed  off 
from  her  side,  the  lantern-jawed 
skipper  calling  out  to  Herrera 
to  get  back  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible as  the  wind  showed  signs 
of  dying  away  and  he  was  sus- 
picious of  an  easterly  gale 
coming  down  and  catching  him 
in  such  an  awkward  place. 

K 


+$  His  Native  Wife 

"  There's  a  darned  big  swell 
rollin'  in  too,  naow,"  he  added, 
"  an*  I  ain't  too  dreadful 
anxious  to  keep  foolin'  around 
here  with  sich  a  current  settin* 
us  inshore." 

In  Herrera's  boat  were  the 
two  ladies,  the  stolid-faced 
Hosea,  and  the  usual  crew ; 
in  Harrington's  himself  and  the 
crew  only,  and  a  box  containing 
the  trade  goods  for  barter  with 
the  natives. 

For  some  ten  or  twenty 
minutes  or  so  the  boats  pulled 
side  by  side  until  they  got 
within  a  few  hundred  yards  of 
the  reef,  then  Barrington's  drew 
ahead.  There  was  not  much 
of  a  sea  on,  but  the  passage 
through  the  break  in  the  reef 
was  very  narrow,  and  as  Bar- 
146 


His  Native  Wife  So- 

rington  knew  the  place  well  his 
boat  was  to  go  first. 

"  Look,  Miss  Trenton,"  said 
the  mate,  pointing  to  the  white 
line  of  beach  in  front  of  them, 
"  take  your  first  view  of  a  South 
Sea  Island  village,  and  see  the 
natives  swarming  down  to  the 
beach  to  meet  us." 

Kate,  with  her  eyes  dancing 
with  excitement,  answered  him 
with  a  bright  smile  and  then 
gave  a  little  scream. 

"Oh,  Helen,  look  at  Mr. 
Harrington's  boat." 

The  second  mate's  boat  had 
just  swept  over  the  reef,  bow 
down  in  front  of  a  roller,  and 
in  the  midst  of  a  seeth  of  white 
foam,  and  wild  cries  from  the 
swarm  of  natives  on  the  beach, 
she  landed  right  in  their  midst. 


*>§  His  Native  Wife 

Herrera,  with  a  quick  look 
astern,  waited  for  another  sea 
to  come,  determined  to  go  in 
on  top  of  it,  instead  of  waiting 
for  a  lull  and  pulling  in  quietly. 
He  saw  that  there  was  a  clean 
run  in,  once  he  got  over  the 
edge  of  the  reef,  and  he  wanted 
to  show  Kate  Trenton  that 
Barrington  was  not  the  only 
man  who  could  take  a  boat  in 
over  the  reef  on  top  of  a  sea. 

At  a  sign  from  Herrera  the 
crew  shipped  the  oars  and  took 
out  broad-bladed  native  paddles 
— Harrington's  boat  had  gone 
in  with  oars  apeak — and  waited 
for  the  word. 

"  Give  it  to  her,  boys  !  " 
The  five  paddles  struck  into 
the  water   and    the   light  boat 
sprang  forward  in  front  of  the 
148 


His  Native  Wife  $+ 

advancing  sea.  In  another  ten 
seconds,  with  the  two  women 
and  Hosea  holding  tightly  to 
each  other  in  terrified  silence 
and  Herrera  straining  at  the 
steer-oar,  she  was  darting  like 
an  arrow  through  the  water,  in 
front  of  the  boiling,  hissing  surf. 
Suddenly,  amidst  the  wild 
rush  and  bubble  of  the  snow- 
white  spume  that  frothed  past 
the  gunwales  with  lightning 
speed,  Herrera  uttered  a  savage 
oath  ;  right  ahead  of  him  lay  a 
round  knob  of  coral,  just  show- 
ing its  pink  and  blue  top  above 
the  surface  of  the  water.  With 
a  fierce  strain  at  the  steer-oar, 
he  just  shaved  past  it,  but  in 
another  moment  the  boat 
broached  to,  rolled  over,  and 

filled. 

149 


«°S  His  Native  Wife 

Before  a  canoe  could  be 
launched,  Harrington,  with  a 
curse  upon  the  mate's  vain 
folly,  had  sprung  back  into  his 
boat,  and  was  pulling  out  to 
save  them.  Already,  though, 
the  sweeping  back-wash  had 
carried  boat  and  people  out 
towards  the  edge  of  the  reef 
again. 

"  Pull,  you  sons  of  devils, 
pull,"  said  Harrington  to  his 
crew,  as  another  sea  came  hurt- 
ling in  with  curling  top,  "the 
women  will  be  drowned  !  " 

But  that  sea  nearly  half-filled 
his  boat,  and  by  the  time  they 
got  way  on  her  again  the  cap- 
sized boat  had  been  swept  down 
by  the  current  right  into  the 
thundering  surf  that  broke  on 
the  reef  on  each  side  of  the 
150 


His  Native  Wife  §&• 

narrow  passage.  Fifty  yards 
away  Barrington  saw  two  of 
Herrera's  crew  and  the  Reve- 
rend Hosea,  who  was  supported 
by  them,  swimming  down  with 
the  current  towards  shallower 
water,  and  further  out  in  the 
blue  rollers,  he  saw  the  black 
head  of  Herrera,  keeping  him- 
self afloat,  and  holding  up  Kate 
Trenton.  Then,  almost  at  the 
same  moment  that  he  caught 
sight  of  the  white  face  of  the 
missionary's  wife  clinging  de- 
spairingly to  a  jagged  mass  of 
coral,  not  five  fathoms  away, 
another  roaring  sea  leapt  down 
upon  his  half-filled  boat  and 
fairly  smothered  her. 

"  Two  of  you  to  the  mate, 
boys,"  he  called  to  the  Maori 
crew,  "  the  rest  of  you  stick  to 


*S  His  Native  Wife 

the  boat,"  and  then  he  struck 
out  towards  the  drowning 
woman,  who,  with  the  strength 
of  despair,  still  clung  to  the 
coral  boulder,  which  was  about 
two  or  three  feet  out  of  the 
water,  and  so  saved  her  from 
being  smothered  by  the  seas 
which  rolled  by  on  either  side. 
Just  as  he  reached  her  a  roller, 
higher  and  swifter  than  the 
others,  tore  away  her  weaken- 
ing grasp,  and  holding  her  in 
his  arms  they  were  buried 
beneath  ;  when  they  came  to 
the  surface  he  saw  that  she  was 
still  alive,  but  nearly  uncon- 
scious. 

For  nearly  five  minutes  Bar- 

rington,  with  the  blood  welling 

from  a  fearful  cut  on  his  head, 

drifted  seaward  with  the  woman. 

152 


His  Native  Wife  $©» 

He  knew  the  canoes  would  be 
along  presently,  for  already, 
although  strange  noises  filled 
his  brain  from  the  blow  he  had 
received  and  the  blood  blinded 
his  eyesight,  he  could  hear  the 
cries  of  the  natives  close  by. 

He  had  twined  his  right 
hand  into  the  woman's  hair, 
and  held  her  in  front  of  him  as 
he  struck  out  with  his  left. 
Then,  as  he  still  partly  drifted, 
partly  swam  seaward,  away  out 
from  the  sweep  of  the  seas — for 
they  were  now  beyond  the  reef 
— with  dulled  brain  and  blood- 
filled  eyes  a  thought  ran  through 
him  that  smote  his  heart  with  a 
deadly  chill.  He  knew  he  was 
bleeding  badly  and  knew  that 
the  sharks  are  quick  to  answer 
to  the  smell  of  blood. 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

"  God  help  us,"  he  muttered 
thickly  ;  "  what  can  I  do  ?  " 
Then  his  senses  left  him. 

•  •  •  • 

Away  out  on  the  Kellet  Pass- 
more,  Captain  Amos  Bennett, 
from  the  fore-topsail  yard,  had 
seen  Herrera's  boat  broach-to 
and  fill,  had  seen  Barrington's 
meet  with  a  like  fate,  and  had 
cursed  all  missionaries  unto  the 
tenth  generation. 

"Waal,  I'll  be  goldarned ! 
Two  boats  capsized  and  ez  like 
ez  not  stove  in,"  and  he  threw 
his  cigar  down  on  to  the  deck 
for'ard  with  another  curse  after 
it ;  "  and  perhaps  some  of  my 
men  injoored." 

"  Hope  the  women  and  the 
parson  ain't  hurt,"  said  the 
fourth  mate,  who  had  just  come 


His  Native  Wife  So- 
up    aloft     and     stood     beside 
him. 

"  Darned  ef  I  care  ;  their 
passages  are  paid,"  was  the 
snorting  reply  ;  for  the  worthy 
Bennett  —  although  he  didn't 
mean  what  he  said — was  in  a 
very  bad  temper. 

And,  just  then,  as  he  gave 
orders  for  another  boat  to  be 
lowered,  the  breeze  died  away 
so  suddenly  and  suspiciously 
that  he  hurried  down  below  to 
look  at  the  glass.  He  was 
back  on  deck  in  a  minute. 

"  Never  mind  the  boat,  Mr. 
Briggs.  There's  plenty  of 
canoes  to  pick  up  the  darned 
fools,  and  there's  going  to  be 

h 1  to  pay  in  another  five 

minutes   here.      Stand   by   the 
braces,  and  look  spry  we  don't 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

get   caught    aback.      Darn   all 
parsons,  I  say." 

In  another  ten  minutes  the 
first  puffs  of  the  coming  easterly 
struck  the  old  barque.  She 
heeled  over  to  it,  and  then  as 
the  whistle  of  it  passed  away 
stood  up  again  on  an  even 
keel  ;  but  only  for  a  few 
seconds,  as  the  short,  savage 
puffs  settled  down  into  the 
droning  hum  of  a  heavy  squall. 

Two  hours  later,  under  close 
reefed  fore  and  main-topsails, 
she  was  running  before  the 
storm,  with  a  sea  like  mountains 
chasing  her  and  banging  against 
her  old,  square  stern  and  wall- 
sides. 

"Guess  we  won't  heave  her 
to  among  these  reefs  between 
156 


His  Native  Wife  &*• 

Loosap  and  D'Urville's  Island, 
Mr.  Briggs.  Let  her  go  as  she 
is,  an*  we'll  get  under  the  lee  or 
Truk  until  this  darned  easterly 
blows  its  guts  out.  Then  I 
reckon  we'll  hev  to  come  back 
and  pick  up  Mr.  Herrera  an' 
Mr.  Barrington  and  them 
Gawspil  folks." 

And  so,  with  the  drone  or 
the  easterly  singing  through  her 
cordage,  and  the  swash  of  the 
mountain  seas  swirling  up 
against  her  weather-beaten  sides, 
the  old  whaler  plunges  and 
splashes  westward,  running  dead 
before  it,  and  is  lost  to  sight 
and  no  more  heard  of  in  this 
story. 


CHAPTER  X. 

UNDER    THE     PALMS. 

A  SWARM  of  brown,  half- 
naked  men  and  women 
rushed  to  the  beach  to  meet 
the  returning  canoes,  and  as 
they  stood  and  waited  a  savage, 
roaring  gust  swept  through  the 
dense  palm-grove  at  their  backs, 
and  whipped  up  great  clouds  of 
the  white,  clinging  sand,  and 
carried  it  far  out  seawards. 

"Haste,  haste,  my  children  ! " 
and  Sru,  the  chief  of  Losap,  a 
great,  broad-shouldered  native, 
158 


His  Native  Wife  £*» 

naked  save  for  his  thick  girdle 
of  banana  fibre,  sprang  into  the 
water  and  looked  anxiously  at 
the  three  canoes  as  they  sped 
shoreward  in  face  of  the  rising 
storm. 

A  wild  cry  went  up  from  the 
assembled  people  as  the  first 
canoe  swept  in  through  the 
boiling  surf  and  ran  her  sharp 
bows  upon  the  beach,  and  the 
wet  and  naked  rowers  sprang 
out  ;  and  Herrera,  holding 
Kate  Trenton  in  his  arms,  was 
seen  seated  amidships  with  two 
of  Harrington's  boat's  crew. 

Too  exhausted  to  speak,  he 
motioned  to  the  women  to  take 
her  ;  and  then,  staggering  on 
his  feet  like  a  drunken  man,  he 
sought  to  discover  something  of 
Harrington  and  the  others  ;  but 


*§  His  Native  Wife 

a  blinding,  stinging  rain-squall 
had  obscured  the  two  other 
canoes  from  view  ;  and  then  he 
was  half  carried  away  by  some 
natives  to  the  shelter  of  the 
chiefs  house,  where  the  women 
had  already  taken  Kate  Tren- 
ton, and  with  kindly  hands  and 
pitying  words  were  bringing  her 
back  to  life  again. 

In  the  second  canoe  were  two 
of  Herrera's  men,  for  their  boat 
had  been  hopelessly  stove  in, 
and  after  them  came  Barring- 
ton's  boat,  "  swum  in "  by 
natives  and  the  rest  of  his  crew ; 
the  third  canoe  was  yet  out 
amid  the  tumbling  breakers  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  away,  but 
showing  up  now  and  then  a 
black  spot  amid  the  white  seeth 
of  swirling  foam. 
160 


His  Native  Wife  &* 

"Ha!"  cried  Sru,  «  Railik 
my  son  hath  cause  to  be  last  ; 
for,  see,  there  are  yet  three 
more  of  the  rebelli  swimming 
in  the  shallow  water  near  to  his 
canoe — the  current  hath  swept 
them  far  down.  Even  now  do 
I  see  the  three  heads  above 
the  water." 

•          •  •          •          • 

And  away  out  in  the  canoe, 
Railik,  with  his  long  black  hair 
streaming  out  to  the  gale,  saw 
them  too,  and  urged  his  men 
to  paddle  hard.  Ten  minutes 
before  he  had  picked  up  Bar- 
rington  and  the  missionary's 
wife ;  and  as  a  whiff  of  spray 
smote  him  fiercely  in  the  face, 
he  shook  the  water  from  his 
eyes  and  glanced  down  to  see 
if  the  woman  was  yet  alive,  as 
161  L 


<*?  His  Native  Wife 

she  lay  in  the  bottom  of  the 
canoe  with  her  head  supported 
by  a  native  boy.  Up  for'ard, 
lying  on  his  back  with  the 
blood  still  flowing  from  his 
head,  was  Barrington.  Pre- 
sently he  sought  to  rise,  and 
placed  one  hand  on  the  gun- 
wale of  the  canoe. 

"  Nay,  stay  thou  quiet,  Jaki," 
said  the  native  who  paddled  on 
the  bow  thwart  and  whose  feet 
were  placed  one  on  each  side  of 
the  white  man's  body,  "  try  not 
to  rise,  for  should  I  miss  but 
one  stroke  of  my  paddle  then 
does  the  canoe  fill,  and  thou 
and  the  white  woman  be 
drowned." 

Another  sea  swept  by  them 
with  an  angry  hiss,  and  the 
canoe  buried  her  outrigger  deep 
162 


His  Native  Wife  5* 

down,  and  Railik,  with  his  left 
hand  grasping  the  steering- 
paddle,  bent  down  and  scooped 
out  the  water  with  a  half-dozen 
quick  strokes  of  the  wooden 
baler.  Then  in  another 
minute  the  canoe  shot  along- 
side the  three  struggling  men 
— two  of  Barrington's  crew 
and  the  missionary. 

"  Ha  !  "  cried  Sru,  turning 
to  his  people,  "  he  hath 
them." 

And  then  those  who  watched 
saw  the  canoe,  now  sunk  deep 
in  the  water,  head  for  the  shore, 
as  with  a  wild  cry  of  triumph, 
heard  even  through  the  hum  of 
the  wind  and  the  thunder  of  the 
surf,  the  half-nude  paddlers  sent 
her  flying  to  the  beach. 

A  swarm  of  natives  crowded 
163 


*$  His  Native  Wife 

round  as  Railik,  panting  hotly 
for  his  breath,  stood  up,  and 
cast  his  paddle  on  the  sand. 

"  How  many  hast  thou  ?  " 
said  Sru. 

"  Four,  oh  father  Sru — three 
men  and  one  woman.  And  see, 
he  there  who  hath  the  bloodied 
face  is  Jaki — the  woman  is  his 
wife ! " 

A  sudden  silence  fell  upon 
the  crowd  of  natives,  but  no 
one  spoke. 

Then,  muttering  something 
in  a  savage  undertone  to  his 
crew,  the  chief's  son,  without 
another  glance  at  the  people  he 
had  saved  from  death,  strode 
away  towards  the  village,  and 
his  father  told  those  about  him 
to  carry  Barrington  and  the 
white  woman  to  his  house. 
164 


Held  in  the  arms  of  a  tall,  slender  native  girl. 


His  Native  Wife  5^ 

"  Tend  them  well,"  he  said, 
"  for  when  the  storm  is  ceased 
the  ship  will  come  back  for 
them.  So,  give  them  all  to  eat 
and  drink,  and  then  in  a  little 
while,  when  their  strength  has 
come  back,  will  I  ask  of  this 
dog  Jaki  how  it  is  he  bringeth 
back  a  new  wife." 

Held  in  the  arms  of  a  tall, 
slender  native  girl,  who  looked 
pityingly  down  upon  her  trem- 
bling figure,  Helen  Parker 
opened  her  lips  and  spoke. 

"  Where  is  Jaki  ?  "  she  said. 

A  woman  who  stood  close 
by  pointed  to  a  number  of  men 
who  were  helping  Barrington 
up  over  the  brow  of  the 
beach. 

"  Thy  husband  is  there.  He 
is  badly  hurt  and  like  to  die. 
165 


+§  His  Native  Wife 

Who  art  thou  that  speaks  our 
tongue  ? " 

"I  am  the  Christ-woman 
from  Ponape.  Take  me  to  my 
husband." 

And  leading  her  by  the 
hands  the  girl  and  woman 
walked  with  her  to  the  chief's 
house,  and  pointed  to  the  figure 
of  Jack  Harrington,  who  lay 
upon  a  mat  with  some  native 
women  bandaging  his  head. 

She  stood  over  him  for  a 
moment  trying  to  speak  ;  but 
her  voice  failed  her.  At  last  she 
spoke. 

"Thank  God,  Mr.  Barring- 
ton,  you  are  alive.  The  natives 
tell  me  my  husband  is  badly 
hurt.  Where  is  he  ?  " 

No  answer  came,  and  then 
looking  into  the  ghastly,  pallid 
166 


His  Native  Wife  §&> 

face  of  the  man  she  loved,  she 
forgot  all,  and,  kneeling  beside 
him,  took  his  face  in  her  hands 
and  kissed  him  again  and 
again. 

•  •  •  •  • 

Railik,  speeding  along  through 
the  groves  of  coconut  and 
bananas  towards  the  dwelling 
of  old  Tariva,  took  no  heed 
of  the  crash  and  roar  of  the 
storm  that  now  seemed  to  shake 
the  island  to  its  foundations. 
He  knew  that  even  if  the  few 
people  who  lived  in  the  village 
on  the  little  island  with  Nadee 
and  the  old  woman  had  left  it 
with  the  intention  of  seeing  the 
boats  land  from  the  ship,  they 
would  have  returned  to  their 
houses  again  in  the  face  of  such 
a  wild  sea  as  was  now  breaking 
167 


<•£  His  Native  Wife 

over  the  connecting  reef  that 
lay  between  their  village  and  the 
main  island.  No  canoe  could 
cross  the  lagoon  now,  and  to 
walk  round  by  way  of  the  beach 
on  the  lee  side  would  take  them 
many  hours.  So,  on  he  pushed, 
through  the  fast-gathering  dark- 
ness and  the  clashing  and  tear- 
ing of  the  countless  palm  tops 
above  him  and  the  frightened 
shrieks  of  the  sea  birds,  and  the 
growling  thunder  of  the  mighty 
seas  as  they  dashed  against  the 
barrier  wall  of  coral  rock  to 
pour  like  cataracts  along  its 
level  top  into  the  shallow  waters 
of  the  lagoon. 

Then,  when  he  came  within 
sight  of  the  tiny  village  of  four 
houses,  he  lay  down  in  the  dark- 
ness and  waited.     He  wanted 
168 


His  Native  Wife  $& 

to  see  Tarva  alone,  and  would 
watch  for  her. 

One  by  one  the  fires  were 
lighted  in  the  houses,  and  then 
he  caught  a  glimpse  of  Nadee 
as  she  passed  out  of  Tariva's 
house  to  one  that  stood  about 
fifty  yards  away. 

Springing  to  his  feet  he  glided 
through  the  swaying  wind-tossed 
palms  till  he  reached  the  back 
of  the  old  woman's  hous^  and 
looked  through  the  cane  lattice- 
work of  its  walls. 

"  Tariva,"  he  called,  "  'tis  I, 
Railik.  Come  thou  outside,  so 
that  we  may  talk ;  for  I  be  in 
haste." 

In  a  few  seconds  he  saw  her 

figure    coming    towards    him, 

her    white   hair    blowing    and 

whipping    about    her    face   as 

169 


*S  His  Native  Wife 

she  peered  out  into  the  dark- 
ness. 

"  Here,  mother,"  and  he  put 
out  his  hand. 

She  took  it  in  silence,  and 
then  they  walked  together  till 
they  reached  a  great  nudu 
tree,  behind  the  buttressed  trunk 
of  which  they  stood  for  shelter. 

"  Now  is  the  time  come  for 
thee,Tariva,  to  prove  thy  friend- 
ship to  me,  and  give  me  Nadee." 

"That  would  I  have  done 
long  since  ;  but  the  girl  waited 
for  her  white  husband ;  but, 
see,  here  do  I  show  my  friend- 
ship for  thee !  Only  but  a 
little  time  since  we  talked  to- 
gether, and  to-morrow  did  I 
mean  to  bring  her  to  thee,  for 
now  she  belie veth  that  her  hus- 
band will  come  not  back." 
170 


His  Native  Wife  §o 

Railik  laughed.  "Mother, 
he  hath  come  back." 

"Then  why,  O  Railik,  dost 
thou  come  here  to  fool  me  ? 
How  can  I  give  her  to  thee  if 
Jaki  hath  come  ?  Dost  think 
thou  can'st  force  her  now  ?  " 

"  Mother,  listen.  But  little 
time  have  I  to  talk,  even  of 
such  a  matter  as  this :  for  I 
must  haste  back.  See,  now, 
and  then  tell  me  if  I  am  not 
wise.  Two  boats  came  from 
the  ship  and  both  were  over- 
powered by  the  seas  and  the 
people  in  them  cast  out." 

"  Good,"  answered  the  old 
dame,  "  would  they  were  all 
eaten  by  the  sharks." 

"  Then  I  and  four  others  in 
my  canoe,  and  Sirra  and  Tasa 
in  their   canoes,   went   out   to 
171 


*>$  His  Native  Wife 

them — and  it  came  about  that 
I  saw  that  two  of  the  rebelli 
were  washed  outside  the  reef 
apart  from  the  others,  and  Jo, 
they  were  a  man  and  a  woman 
— and  the  man  was  Jaki.  Just 
was  he,  and  the  woman  with 
him,  about  to  sink,  when  we 
dragged  them  in  ;  for  he  had  a 
great  wound  in  his  head." 
"  Ahe,  and  the  woman  ?  " 
"  She  was  as  one  dead.  And 
I,  mother,  when  I  saw  the  face 
of  the  white  man,  would  have 
let  him  drown,  but  those  with 
me  said,  *  Nay,  hurt  him  not, 
dost  thou  not  see  'tis  the  hus- 
band of  Nadee  ?  '  So,  though 
I  would  have  struck  my  paddle 
into  his  brain,  I  feared  to  do  so. 
But,  tell  me,  hath  not  the  Christ- 
woman  I  have  heard  thee  speak 
172 


His  Native  Wife  5o» 

of  hair  like  the  yellow  of  the 
sun  ?  " 

"  Aye,"  said  the  old  woman 
quickly,  clutching  his  wrist, 
"  and  was  it  she  who  was  with 
him?" 

"  And  was  not  the  man — her 
husband,  the  Christ-wizard — 
little  and  dark,  with  a  face  ugly 
to  look  upon  ?  " 

"Aye,  little  and  dark,  with 
hair  black  as  night." 

Railik  laughed.  "  See  how  I 
remember  these  things  that  thou 
hast  told  me.  Now,  as  Jaki  and 
the  woman  lay  in  the  canoe  I 
knew  she  was  the  Christ-woman 
thou  hast  so  often  told  me  of,  and 
then  I  had  no  wish  to  do  him 
harm,  for  I  knew  that  she  was 
wife  to  him,  even  as  thou  hast 
told  Nadee  she  would  be." 


0$  His  Native  Wife 

"  Ah,**  and  the  old  woman 
ground  her  teeth,  "  the  lying 
white  man.  Why  did'st  thou 
not  cast  them  over  again  ?  " 

"  So  we  turned  shoreward,'* 
went  on  Railik,  "  and  as  we 
rose  to  the  sea  I  saw  Sirra  and 
his  men  take  up  another  woman 
and  a  man  from  the  sea,  even  as 
I  had  done  ;  and  as  we  crossed 
over  the  reef  we  saw  three  more 
rebelli  struggling  in  the  shallow 
water  between  the  reef  and  the 
shore.  And  when  we  came  to 
them  I  saw  that  two  were  ship- 
men  and  the  other  a  little  dark 
man  with  a  smooth  face." 

"The  Christ-man?'* 

"  Aye,  the  Christ-man.  And 
then  I  knew  that  the  woman 
who  lay  in  the  canoe  was  not 
wife  to  Jaki,  and  while  the 


His  Native  Wife  So 

thought  of  Nadee  was  hot 
within  me,  and  my  men  helped 
in  the  two  ship-men,  I  sprang 
into  the  sea  as  if  to  save  the 
Christ-man  and " 

"  Ah  " — and  the  old  woman's 
eyes  glistened. 

"  And  took  him  by  the  hair 
and  dived  with  him,  and  struck 
his  head  against  a  rock  beneath 
so  that  he  died  quickly.  This 
did  I  because  I  told  those  with 
me  that  Jaki  had  now  a  new 
wife." 

"Thou  art  both  brave  and 
wise,  my  son.  I  can  see  what 
was  in  thy  mind." 

"  That  to-morrow  thou  shalt 
bring  Nadee  and  show  her  the 
white  woman  and  Jaki  sitting 
together  in  my  father's  house, 
and  say,  *  See,  thy  white  man 


*S  His  Native  Wife 

with  his  new  wife — the  Christ- 
woman  from  Ponape/  * 

"  Good,"  said  the  old  dame, 
pulling  his  face  down  to  hers 
and  embracing  him,  "  now  go, 
and  leave  what  else  is  to  be  done 
to  me." 


176 


CHAPTER  XI. 

A     CONVERT    THROUGH     LOVE. 

r~p'HE  storm  had  nearly 
•••  ceased,  and  although  the 
wind  was  yet  high  and  the 
branches  of  a  hundred  thousand 
graceful  palms  thrashed  and  bent 
and  swayed  wildly  to  its  whist- 
ling note,  overhead  the  blue  sky 
was  unspecked  by  a  single 
cloud. 

Kate  Trenton  awoke  as  she 

lay  upon  her  couch  of  mats  in 

the  house  of  Sru,  the  chief,  and 

looking  out  through  the  opened 

177  M 


*>£  His  Native  Wife 

window  up  into  the  star-spangled 
heavens  thanked  God  that  her 
life  had  been  spared,  and  that 
He  had  spared  Jose's  too. 

She  rose  softly  and  looked  at 
the  three  sleeping  figures  that 
lay  near  her.  That  which  was 
nearest  was  her  sister,  and  Kate, 
taking  a  rude  oil  lamp  in  her 
hand,  sank  on  her  knees  beside 
her,  and  with  tears  welling  fast 
to  her  eyes  scanned  the  pale  face 
of  the  sleeping  woman,  and  then 
touched  lovingly  the  bright  hair 
that  clustered  about  her  temples. 

"Sleep,  sleep,  dear  Helen," 
she  murmured,  and  then  she 
moved  silently  away  again  to  the 
little  window  and  gazed  out  past 
the  wildly  tossing  plumes  of  the 
coconut  grove  that  encompassed 
the  house,  at  the  rearing,  leap- 
178 


His  Native  Wife  Sc» 

ing  billows  that  thundered  with 
a  dulled  but  savage  symphony 
upon  the  black  line  of  reef  half 
a  mile  away. 

"  Poor  Hosea,"  she  said,  and 
then  her  tears  fell  fast.  "  He 
had  so  often  said  that  he  would 
willingly  give  his  life  if  need 
be  for  his  work,  and  now  to 
think  of  him  lying  out  there," 
and  she  turned  away  from  the 
window  with  a  sob,  and  covered 
her  face  with  her  hands. 

For  nearly  an  hour  the  girl 
lay  upon  her  couch  till  the 
light  of  the  lamp  paled  in  the 
silent  house,  and  the  grey  light 
of  the  dawn  stole  through  the 
serried  boles  and  crowns  of  the 
countless  palm  trees.  Drawing 
over  her  shoulders,  with  a 
strange,  happy  feeling  in  her 
179 


*$  His  Native  Wife 

heart,  a  seaman's  pea-jacket, 
which  she  had  found  placed  be- 
side her  couch  and  knew  was 
Herrera's,  she  walked  noise- 
lessly over  to  the  wicker  door, 
stepped  outside,  and  sat  down 
upon  a  great,  flat  slab  of  coral. 

"  He  loves  me !  he  loves  me," 
she  kept  saying  to  herself,  with 
a  whispering,  joyous  laugh, 
"and  I  love  him.  How  can 
I  help  loving  him ;  he  is  so 
good  and  brave." 

A  step  on  the  gravel  made 
her  look  up,  and  the  man  who 
was  in  her  heart  stood  beside 
her,  with  his  black,  passionate 
eyes  looking  into  hers. 

"  It      is      very     cold,     Mr. 

Herrera,"  she  murmured,  "  and 

I  have  your   coat.     But   I  am 

going   in   again   now.     I    only 

180 


His  Native  Wife  $& 

came  out  because  I  could  not 
sleep  with  the  dreadful  sound 
of  the  surf,  and " 

She  stopped,  and  then  as  she 
was  about  to  rise  he  sank  at  her 
feet,  and  seizing  her  hands  in 
his  covered  them  with  kisses. 

"  Kate,  Kate  !  Do  not  go 
just  yet.  I  love  you.  See, 
sweet  one,  there  is  no  one  here 
to  hear  us.  Do  you  think  that 
I  have  been  sleeping  ?  No  !  I 
have  been  lying  there  beside 
Barrington  watching  you,  and 
waiting  for  the  moment  when 
I  could  come  to  you  and  tell 
you  that  I  love  you.  Love 
you,  Kate !  Holy  Saints  for- 
give me  ;  but  yesterday  I  cursed 
the  poor  padre,  because  I 
thought  he  would  come  be- 
tween us.  And  I,  with  the 
181 


+$  His  Native  Wife 

devil  in  my  heart  to  get  you, 
would  have  run  a  knife  into 
my  own  father  before  that 
should  happen." 

Trembling,  partly  with  joy 
and  partly  with  fear  at  his 
passionate  words,  Kate  Trenton 
let  him  draw  her  to  him,  and 
then  he  kissed  her  again  and 
again. 

"See,  Kate,"  and  the  man's 
voice  shook  as  he  turned  her 
face  to  him  and  looked  into 
her  honest  eyes,  "  I,  Jose 
Herrera,  swear  to  you  by  the 
soul  of  my  mother,  and  my 
belief  in  heaven  and  hell,  that 
if  you  will  marry  me,  I,  too, 
will  become  one  of  your  faith — 
that  would  I  do  if  my  mother 
rose  from  her  grave  and  cursed 
me" 

182 


His  Native  Wife  So* 

"  Jose  " — and  there  was  a 
happy  trill  in  her  voice — "I 
am  so  glad  .  .  .  because  I  love 
you." 

Then,  as  the  sound  of  foot- 
steps sounded  near  them  on  the 
pebbly  path,  she  glided  away 
from  him  inside  the  house,  and 
the  first  mate  of  the  Kettet 
Passmore,  picking  up  the  jacket 
she  had  dropped,  walked  round 
to  the  little  window,  and  tapping 
softly  on  the  cane-work  side, 
held  up  the  garment  in  view. 

A  white  hand  and  arm  came 
out  of  the  gloom  of  the  still 
darkened  room,  and  Kate 
Trenton's  fingers  touched  his 
bearded  face. 

"  Good  night,"  she  whis- 
pered. 

"Good  night,"  he  said  in  a 
183 


+$  His  Native  Wife 

low  voice;  "I  will  see  you 
again  soon,  sweet  Kate." 

Then  he  walked  quickly 
away  to  the  beach. 

Forty-eight  hours  before  Jose 
Herrera  had  talked  with  his 
boat's  crew  on  board  the  barque, 
and  had  promised  each  man  a 
hundred  dollars  the  day  they 
landed  him  and  Kate  Trenton 
at  Guam. 

"God  is  good  to  me,"  he 
said,  piously  crossing  himself. 
"  Two  days  ago  I  was  ready  to 
kill  the  poor  padre,  and  run 
the  lives  of  five  men  into 
danger  on  a  long  boat  voyage. 
And  now  the  poor  padre  is 
dead,  and  there  is  no  need  for 
me  to  commit  a  crime." 

Then,  as  he  had  no  tobacco 
to  smoke,  he  sat  down  on  the 
184 


His  Native  Wife  5o» 

cool  sand  watching  the  paling 
stars,  and  wondering  when  the 
Kellet  Passmore  would  turn  up 
again. 

"  Dios,"  he  said,  clasping  his 
small,  sinewy  hands  around  his 
knees,  "  Kate  and  I  may  be 
married  in  a  month  from  now 
if  we  touch  at  Guam.  And 
touch  there  we  shall,  if  I  run 
the  ship  ashore  in  the  night." 


185 


CHAPTER    XII. 

HIS    NATIVE    WIFE. 

WITH  the  first  red  streaks 
of  sunrise  through  the 
palniTgrove,  came  the  murmur 
of  voices  and  the  tramp  of 
naked  feet  about  the  gravelled 
path  that  led  to  the  chiefs 
house,  and  Helen  Parker  awoke 
to  her  sister's  kiss. 

"Kate,"  and  the  pale  face 
lightened  up  as  she  drew  the 
girl  to  her  bosom,  "  I  have  had 
such  a  long  sleep,  and  feel  so 
well  and  strong,"  and  then  her 
186 


His  Native  Wife  §o 

eyes  wandered  over  to  where 
Harrington  lay  with  Jose 
Herrera  sitting  by  his  side. 

"Will  he  die?"  she  whis- 
pered. "  How  horribly  white 
his  face  is  ?  " 

"Die?  Silly  Helen!  No, 
dear ;  but  Mr.  Herrera  says 
that  the  cut  in  his  head  is  some- 
thing terrible,  and  that  he  will 
be  very  weak  for  a  long  time 
from  loss  of  blood,"  and  then 
Kate  laid  her  cheek  to  Helen's, 
"  but  we  will  nurse  him  in 
turns,  dear.  I  would  be  so 
miserable  if  he  died,  Helen,  for 
Jose — I  mean  Mr.  Herrera — 
told  me  that  not  only  did  he 
save  your  life,  but  his  and  mine 
too,  for,  before  swimming  out 
to  you,  he  told  two  of  his  men 
to  go  to  our  aid." 
187 


+9  His  Native  Wife 

Helen  pressed  her  hand,  and 
again  she  glanced  at  the  pallid 
features  of  the  sleeping  man, 
and  Jose  Herrera  nodded  and 
smiled  reassuringly. 

"Helen,"  and  Kate's  arm 
stole  round  her  waist,  "don't 
weep,  dear.  It  was  his  wish  to 
die  at  his  post.  It  is  such  men 
as  he  who  win  the  crown  of 
glory  for  the  cause  of  Christ.*' 

Helen  Parker  shuddered,  and 
then  a  hot  flush  dyed  her  face  ; 
she  had  not  been  thinking  of 
her  dead  husband  as  Kate 
imagined,  but  of  the  man  who 
had  all  but  given  his  life  for 
hers. 

•         •         •         •         • 

The  tramping  sound  of  naked 
feet    on    the    gravelled    paths 
around  the  house  increased,  and 
188 


His  Native  Wife  fc- 

Herrera  rose  and  came  over  to 
them. 

"  The  native  women  are 
bringing  baskets  of  food  and 
placing  them  outside,"  he  said  to 
Kate ;  "  they  are  very  anxious 
to  come  inside  and  talk  to 
you  both,  but  Sru,  the  chief, 
has  forbidden  them  to  make 
any  noise.  He  thinks  you  are 
still  asleep.  Would  you  like 
to  come  outside  for  a  little  ? 
They  are  getting  us  something 
to  eat,  I  can  see." 

Moving  very  quietly  so  as 
not  to  awaken  Harrington, 
Herrera  opened  the  door,  and 
Helen  and  Kate  followed  him 
outside  and  faced  the  crowd  of 
natives  who  sat  awaiting  them. 
A  little  apart  from  the  rest, 

seated  on  a  mat  fringed    with 
189 


*$  His  Native  Wife 

scarlet  parrot's  feathers,  was 
Sru,  the  chief;  behind  him,  his 
wife  and  Railik  his  son. 

A  murmur  of  approval  broke 
from  the  people  as  Helen 
stepped  across  to  the  chief,  and 
spoke  to  him. 

"We  thank  thee,  Sru  of 
Losap,  that  thou  and  thy  people, 
have  saved  us  from  death." 

"Sit  thou  there,  Christ- 
woman,  thou  and  the  other 
woman,  and  the  dark-faced  ship 
man,"  and  the  chief  pointed  to 
where,  among  the  rest  of  the 
whaling  gear  saved  from  the 
boats,  the  four  line  tubs  were 
placed  side  by  side  ;  "  sit  thou 
there,  and  while  my  women  get 
ready  food  for  thee  to  eat,  let 
us  talk." 

They  sat  down  and  waited 
190 


His  Native  Wife  So- 

for  him  to  speak,  and  Herrera 
who,  although  he  could  not 
speak  the  language,  knew  by  the 
chiefs  manner  that  something 
was  wrong,  looked  anxiously 
around  for  his  and  Harrington's 
boats'  crews.  Not  one  of  the 
men  was  to  be  seen. 

•         .         .         »         • 

Suddenly,  with  a  fierce  scowl 
at  Helen,  the  chief  raised  his 
huge,  brawny  arm,  and  with  his 
open  palm  struck  the  mat  upon 
which  he  sat. 

"  Christ-woman,  why  came 
ye  here  ?  " 

The  rude,  rough  words — so 
different  from  what  she  ex- 
pected, started  and  alarmed 
her. 

"  Why  such  angry  words  to 
those  who  have  been  cast  upon 
191 


^J  His  Native  Wife 

the  beach  by  the  waves,  O 
Sru." 

"  'Tis  to  thee  alone  I  speak, 
thou  stealer  of  women's  hus- 
bands. See,"  and  he  sprang  to 
his  feet,  and  pointed  to  the 
oars,  lances,  and  harpoons  that 
lay  piled  together  by  the  tubs, 
"there  be  all  the  things  that 
were  taken  from  the  boats. 
Now  listen,  and  make  the  dark- 
faced  ship-man  by  thy  side  un- 
derstand my  words.  Presently, 
when  ye  have  eaten  and  drank, 
shall  my  people  fill  the  one 
boat  that  is  unbroken  with  food 
and  water,  and  then  shall  ye  all 
get  to  the  boat  and  go  away 
from  my  land  and  seek  the  ship 
again.  But  the  white  man  Jaki 
shall  stay." 

Utterly  at  a  loss  to  account 
192 


His  Native  Wife  So» 

for  the  chief's  angry  words  and 
inhospitable  manner,  Helen 
answered  him — - 

"Why  to  me  alone,  O  Sru 
of  Losap,  is  thy  anger  turned  ? 
And  how  am  I  a  stealer  of 
women's  husbands  ?  " 

"  Is  not  Jaki  the  husband  of 
Nadee?" 

An  agony  of  shame  for  the 
moment  overcame  her.  She 
knew  how  prone  the  native 
mind  was  to  suspicion,  and 
hastened  to  explain. 

"  He  is  not  my  husband. 
My  husband  is  dead  but  yester- 
day." 

And  then,  in  as  few  words  as 
possible,  she  told  how  it  was 
that  she  and  her  husband  came 
to  take  a  passage  in  the  whaler, 
and  then  asked  the  chief  if  he 
193  N 


<>$  His  Native  Wife 

did  not  know  that  her  husband 
was  dead. 

He  listened  to  the  end,  and 
then  answered  coldly  : 

"  What  lies  are  these  ?  Are 
we  fools?  Are  not  every  one 
that  were  in  the  boats  alive  and 
well  but  Jaki  ?  Thou  dost 
but  say  this  for  fear  of  thy  life, 
thou  cunning  Christ-woman. 
Old  Tariva  knoweth  of  thy 
love  for  the  husband  of  Nadee, 
and  hath  told  us." 

For  a  minute  she  was  too 
dazed  to  speak,  and  then  a 
young  girl  who  sat  directly 
in  front  of  her  took  up  a 
small  piece  of  broken  coral 
and  tossed  it  at  her  feet  con- 
temptuously. 

"Thou  stealer  of  women's 
husbands  ! "  she  said  with  a 
194 


His  Native  Wife  &*• 

mocking  laugh,  and  then  came 
a  chorus  of  gibes  and  jeers. 

Herrera,  with  a  red  gleam  in 
his  eyes,  sprang  up,  and  in 
another  moment  Helen  had 
fainted  in  her  sister's  arms. 

Lifting  her  up,  Herrera  car- 
ried her  back  to  the  house  and 
laid  her  down. 

Kate  followed  him  in,  and 
splashing  her  face  with  water 
she  soon  revived. 

"  What  is  wrong,  dear  ? 
Why  is  that  dreadful-looking 
man  so  angry  ?  " 

"For  God's  sake  don't  ask 
me  now,  Kate.  Mr.  Herrera, 
we  must  leave  the  island  at 
once  ;  our  lives  are  in  peril 
else.  The  chief  says  that  as 
soon  as  we  have  eaten  some- 
thing we  must  go  away ; 


<*£  His  Native  Wife 

and  that  he  will  provision  the 
boat." 

"  Dios  !  Is  the  man  mad  ?  " 
"  No,  no,"  said  Helen,  hur- 
riedly. "I  know  the  cause  of 
it  all.  A  fierce  old  woman 
named  Tariva,  who  was  once 
at  Ponape,  and  hates  the  mis- 
sionaries bitterly,  has  poisoned 
his  mind  against  us  —  me  in 
particular.  We  must  go,  Mr. 
Herrera.  I  know  our  danger. 
She  is  a  terrible  woman,  and 
would  have  great  influence  over 
these  Losap  natives,"  and  then 
she  added  in  calmer  tones, 
"  Leave  me  here,  please.  I 
cannot  face  those  women  again, 
but  they  will  offer  no  harm  to 
either  Kate  or  you.  Go,  Mr. 
Herrera,  I  beg  of  you,  and  see 

to  the  boat." 

106 


His  Native  Wife  £•» 

The  mate,  with  a  sympathetic 
grasp  of  her  hand,  turned  to  go. 
"  Do  not  fear,  ladies.  We  will 
be  safe  enough  in  the  boat,  and 
even  if  we  miss  the  ship  we  can 
run  down  to  Truk,  with  this 
wind,  in  thirty  hours." 

The  moment  Herrera  stood 
outside  two  of  his  boat's  crew 
met  him,  and  he  learned  that 
the  four  Maoris  had  told  them 
that  they  had  been  asked  by  the 
natives  to  remain  on  the  island  ; 
but  that  all  the  others,  except 
Barrington,  were  to  go,  or  they 
would  be  killed. 

"All  right,  boys,  let  the 
Maoris  stay — we  don't  want 
them.  Where  are  Pedro  and 
Tom,  and  the  boatsteerer  ?  " 

"  Down  at  the  boat,  stowing 
her  with  baskets  of  food.  She's 
197 


^  His  Native  Wife 

about  a  mile  farther  down  on 
the  beach." 

"Very  well,  go  down  and 
lend  them  a  hand.  Here ! 
take  the  oars  down  to  the  boat, 
and  pull  up  here  as  quick  as 
you  can.  I  will  stay  with  the 
ladies." 

Picking  up  the  oars  the  men 
walked  quickly  away  along  the 
beach,  and  Herrera  saw  with 
astonishment  that  there  was  not 
a  native  about.  They  had  all 
gone  into  their  houses,  and 
seemed  to  show  the  most  utter 
indifference  to  the  movements 
of  the  white  people. 

He  sat  down  on  one  of  the 
line  tubs,  and  presently  Kate 
Trenton,  her  face  pale  with 
excitement,  joined  him. 

"  Helen  is  coming  presently," 


His  Native  Wife  bo 

she  said,  and  she  sat  beside  him 
and  placed  her  trembling  hand 
in  his. 

*  •  *  *  • 

Slowly  Harrington  opened  his 
eyes  and  gazed  stupidly  around 
him.  A  raging  thirst  and  a 
sound  of  some  one  sobbing  had 
roused  him  from  his  death-like 
sleep,  and  in  a  faint  voice  he 
called  for  water. 

"  Thank  God  !  "  murmured 
Helen,  and  raising  his  head  on 
her  arm,  she  placed  a  young 
coconut  to  his  lips. 

He  drank,  and  then  with  a 
heavy  sigh  sank  back  on  the 
rolled-up  mat  that  formed  his 
pillow,  and  closed  his  eyes 
again. 

She  knelt  beside  him  for  a 
few  moments  with  her  hands 
199 


<*$  His  Native  Wife 

clasped  tightly  together,  and 
then  bent  down  and  kissed 
him — for  the  last  time. 

Then  came  the  sound  of  the 
crunching  gravel  outside,  and 
the  doorway  of  the  house  was 
darkened  by  two  figures,  but 
she  heard  nor  saw  them  not, 
as  she  sobbed  out  her  heart 
over  the  unconscious  man. 

•  •  •  •  • 

"  See,  Nadee,  see  thy  white 
husband  and  the  Christ-woman 
for  whom  he  hath  cast  thee  off," 
and  then  old  Tariva  slipped  a 
knife  into  the  girl's  hand.  As 
Nadee  sprang  forward  Helen 
raised  her  face  ;  and  then  the 
knife  flashed  and  sank  deep 
down  into  her  heart,  and  stilled 
it  for  ever. 


200 


His  Native  Wife  5^ 

A  wild,  shrieking  laugh  made 
Kate  Trenton  and  Jose  Herrera 
spring  to  their  feet,  to  see  a 
hideous  old  woman  with  long, 
snow-white  hair,  standing  at  the 
door  of  the  chief's  house,  and 
the  next  moment  a  young  girl, 
as  fair-skinned  almost  as  Kate 
herself,  stepped  outside. 

Again  that  awful  screeching 
laugh  rang  out,  and  the  hag 
took  Nadee  by  the  hand  and 
led  her  out  in  full  view  of  the 
village.  Then  she  spoke. 

"  See,  O  men  of  Losap.  See 
the  red  hand  of  Nadee.  Hold 
thou  it  up,  my  wood-dove,  and 
let  them  see  the  blood  of  the 
Christ -woman  who  stole  thy 
lover  from  thee  with  her  strong 
witchcraft." 

And    Nadee,    with     blazing 

2OI 


<*?  His  Native  Wife 

eyes  and  panting  bosom,  held 
up  the  bloodied  knife. 
•         .         •         .         • 

At  sunset  the  whale-boat, 
with  Kate's  head  pillowed  against 
her  lover's  bosom,  was  fifty 
miles  away  ;  and  Jack  Barring- 
ton  awoke  to  find  bending  over 
him  the  calm  face  of  his  native 
wife. 


THE    END. 


202 


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